--- title: "Bass Reeves: The Wild West’s toughest lawman was born a slave" description: "The real-world exploits of this U.S. Marshal sound like the stuff of legend, except most of what you'll hear about Bass Reeves is real." date: "2022-06-05" modified: "2023-06-02" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/wild-wests-toughest-lawman/" categories: - "Heroes" - "History" --- # Bass Reeves: The Wild West’s toughest lawman was born a slave ![bass reeves]() The real-world exploits of this [U.S. Marshal]() sound like the stuff of legend, up there with Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. Except most of what you'll hear about Bass Reeves is real. He escaped slavery in Texas by beating up his owner's son. Then he lived among the natives in the Indian Territory of what is today Oklahoma. He memorized arrest warrants and always brought in the right criminal. Bass Reeves was exactly what the Wild West needed. ![Bass Reeves]() While he could neither read nor write, Reeves knew the Indian Territory. He escaped there after beating up his master's son in a dispute over a card game. The need to survive led him to the tribes of the Cherokee, Seminoles, and Creek Indians, whom he befriended and lived with until the end of the Civil War made him a free man. While he was illiterate, his mind was like a steel trap, and his heart was as brave as they come. When U.S. Marshal James Fagan was tasked with cleaning up the Indian Territory of its felons and outlaws, his first hire was Bass Reeves. Reeves was now the first black lawman west of the Mississippi River and was perfectly suited for duty in the Indian Territory, speaking their language and knowing the terrain. For 32 years, Reeves would bring in the most dangerous of criminals without ever being wounded in action, despite having his hat and belt shot off on separate occasions. ![Bass Reeves and his partner]() *Reeves and his Native American partner might have inspired "The Lone Ranger."* At the end of his long, illustrious career, Reeves claimed to have arrested more than 3,000 felons and shot at least 14 outlaws dead during shootouts – he even had to arrest his own son for murder. Even though he claimed he'd never been hit by an outlaw's bullet, there were times where they got the drop on the lawman. His favorite trick, one he used many times, was a letter ruse. When his quarry got the better of him, he would ask his captors to read him a letter from his wife before they shot him. Once the outlaws took the letter, Reeves used the distraction to draw his weapon and disarm or take down the bad guys. His exploits were soon famous, and he earned the nickname "[The Invincible Marshal]()" for all the times he'd escaped the jaws of death. Only at age 71 did death come for Bass Reeves – not in the form of an outlaw's bullet, but rather kidney disease, in 1910. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()