Black Heroes of the Wild West

Revisiting American history and finding diversity at its roots: here are three extraordinary yet true tales of ordinary African Americans who helped shape the future of the nation in the years following the American Civil War. Born into slavery in Tennessee, Mary Fields cared for children and washed laundry after Emancipation before becoming famous all through the Montana Territory as “Stagecoach Mary,” a cigar-chomping, card-playing coach driver who never missed a delivery. A legend in his own time, Bass Reeves was the first black Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River. He became known as one of the wiliest lawmen in the territories, bringing thousands of outlaws to justice with his smarts. They say that Bob Lemmons was so good with horses that the wild stallions on the plains of Texas confused him for one of their own. Born a slave, Bob Lemmons lived to be 99 years old, witnessing a century of American history, from the Civil War through the cattle drives of the Old West to the arrival of the steam trains.



This comic by James Otis Smith celebrates the incredible but little-known lives of three black heroes who took control of their destinies and stood up for their communities: true stories from the Wild West, but not like you’ve seen in the movies.