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U.S. Landmark Books #25
Wild Bill Hickok Tames the West
The adventurous life of Bill Hickok, who brought a degree of order to the rough and lawless western towns.
- GenresHistory
179 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
63 people want to read
About the author
Stewart H. Holbrook
63 books9 followersStewart Hall Holbrook (1893 - 1964) was an American lumberjack, writer, and popular historian. His writings focused on what he called the "Far Corner" - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. A self-proclaimed "low-brow" historian, his topics included Ethan Allen, the railroads, the timber industry, the Wobblies, and eccentrics of the Pacific Northwest.
He wrote for The Oregonian for over thirty years, and authored dozens of books. He also produced a number of paintings under the pseudonym of "Mr. Otis."
He wrote for The Oregonian for over thirty years, and authored dozens of books. He also produced a number of paintings under the pseudonym of "Mr. Otis."
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 23, 2024
I think my favorites in this whole series are the "biographies," but that description has to be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak. As I've written before, many remind me of old-timey dime novels, especially those about famous figures of the Old West. Many take what I would describe as a large amount of "artistic license," but this one seems to be fairly accurate, at least in terms of the facts actually known about the man known as Wild Bill Hickok, one of the most legendary figures of the American west.
In short, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (27 May 1837-2 Aug 1876) lived a short but adventuresome life, and is known as something of a folk hero for his exploits on the frontier. At some point, he was a soldier, scout, gunslinger, gambler, showman and occasional lawman whose renown was admittedly enhanced by the many tall tales told about him. Like many frontier figures, Hickok wasn't born in the west. He was born and raised on a farm in Northern Illinois, but he left home early and worked his way west. His father was an abolitionist whose farm reportedly served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Hickok reportedly became a first-rate marksman in his youth, a skill which, depending on how you look at it, either stood him in good stead, or resulted in his death. Hickok left home at eighteen, in 1855, and moved to Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory where he joined the Free State Army (Jayhawkers), an anti-slavery vigilante group which was active during the Bleeding Kansas era. It was there he also first met "Buffalo" Bill Cody, who was just twelve at the time.
While serving as a driver for a freight company, he was nearly fatally mauled by a bear, having narrowly escaped death with a crushed chest, shoulder and arm, rendering him bed-ridden for four months. The book describes this incident in some detail - considering the poor state of medical care at the time, it is indeed a wonder that Hickok survived this attack. He then went to the Rock Creek Station in Nebraska to work as a stable hand while he recovered.
Hickok eventually joined the Kansas Brigade during the Civil War, and worked for the provost marshal of Southwest Missouri as a member of the Springfield detective police. He was responsible for some policing duties such as identifying troops in uniform who were drinking on duty, verifying hotel liquor licenses and collections for the army.
It was at this time that Wild Bill faced a second trial for murder: the first was the McCanles incident, whereby David McCanles went to the Rock Creek Station to demand overdue payment from the station manager. The facts are somewhat murky, but what is clear that McCanles was killed after reportedly threatening the manager, either by the manager or Bill Hickok. In any event, no one was convicted for the killing. Wild Bill was arrested yet again for the murder of Davis Tutt, with whom he apparently had disagreements over gambling debts, and, more significantly, the attentions of the same woman. The two engaged in a quick-draw duel over a pocket watch, whereby Tutt was shot through the heart and killed.
Hickok narrowly escaped conviction, because the duel wasn't really self-defense. He was acquitted in any case. He later became the city marshal of Hays, Kansas, and sheriff of Ellis County. It was here that his reputation as a lawman began to take shape. A couple of years later, he served as Marshal of Abilene, Kansas, replacing another marshal who had been killed in the line of duty attempting to serve an arrest warrant. However, an accidental shooting ended his law enforcement career a few years later - Hickok shot and killed Deputy Marshal Mike Williams, who was actually coming to his aid, an event which reportedly haunted him for the rest of his life.
It was about this time that Hickok recruited a team to put on an outdoor demonstration "The Daring Buffalo Chase of the Plains," which featured six bison, a bear and a monkey. She show failed but in 1873, Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited him to join their troupe, but that venture was short-lived. He married in 1876, in Cheyenne, and shortly thereafter made a fateful move to South Dakota to begin a mining operation.
On August 1, Hickok was playing poker at a local saloon in Deadwood, when a drunk man, Jack McCall, sat down to play. After losing heavily, Hickok told him to quit, and even offered to give him money for breakfast so that he could sober up, but apparently that wasn't sufficient, and the man took it as an insult. The following day, Hickok was playing poker again, sitting with his back to the door - an unusual situation for the former lawman. He even reportedly asked twice for another man at the table to change seats with him, but the man refused.
It was to be his fatal undoing: McCall reportedly entered the saloon, and, without a word, drew his Colt 1873 Single Action Army .45 revolver and shouted, "take that!", shooting Hickok in the back of the head at point-blank range. Hickok died instantly, but the bullet went through his right cheek and struck another player in the wrist. The poker hand Hickok reportedly held at the time of his death, two pairs of black aces and eights, has become widely known as the "dead man's hand" as a result.
The murderer, McCall, however, claimed that there was more to the story: he told an informal "miners' jury" that he was avenging Hickok's earlier murder of his own brother, a man named Lew McCall, who had been killed by an unknown lawman in Abilene. It's unclear whether or not Lew McCall was actually killed by Hickok - the evidence which does exist casts doubt on the claim. In any event, McCall was shockingly acquitted and released, but faced a second, formal trial, held in Yankton, where he was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. Sentence was carried out on March 1, 1877. Jack McCall was later exhumed when the cemetery was moved in 1881, and was found to still be wearing the noose around his neck, which was reportedly left in place when he was reburied.
Hickok's body was claimed by his friend Charlie Utter, who placed an obituary about him and included details about the event in the local paper. Hickok was buried first in Ingelside cemetery in Deadwood, which quickly filled up. On the third anniversary of his original burial, Utter had him moved to the new Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, where he remains today. Due to his fame, or notoriety, Hickok went through many grave markers - souvenir hunters destroyed several, including when an iron cage was cut into and a statue removed from the grave site in the 1950s, but it has since been replaced.
Wild Bill Hickok remains a household name, even if people know few facts about his actual life. The first motion picture about him was a silent film, released in 1923. Several others followed, many of which were of dubious accuracy. The most recent film version was in the HBO series "Deadwood," where Wild Bill was played by Keith Carradine. Many actual details of his life have, over the decades, been obscured by legend, and, even in his own time, outright fabrication or exaggeration, but his is still a remarkable life of adventure, one which was tragically cut short.
The author, Stewart Hall Holbrook (1893 - 1964) was something of a colorful figure himself. He wrote several other books in this series, including the one on Wyatt Earp, which I didn't really care for that much - this one is somewhat better), The Swamp Fox, Davy Crockett, and Ethan Allen. Holbrook seems to focus on biographies, but some are better than others - it's kind of hit or miss. He's described himself as a logger, writer, and "low brow" historian whose writings center on the "Far Corner" area - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
His particular interests include the railroads, the timber industry, and even painting - he produced several satirical paintings under the pseudonym "Mr. Otis." Holbrook also wrote for "The Oregonian" newspaper for over thirty years. He's so well known in the area that there's an award named for him, the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award, which is presented to a person or organization who has made significant contributions to Oregon's literary community.
This was a fun read, because, like some of the others, it reads somewhat like an old West dime novel - but that's about what it's worth, in terms of accuracy. First: the notion that Wild Bill Hickok, whose exploits were usually questionable, "tamed" the west is preposterous, and, frankly, not a little insulting to the ACTUAL lawmen, many of whom gave their lives after a lengthy, exhausting career - like the man Hickok himself replaced, who was murdered while serving a routine arrest warrant. The notion that Hickok tamed the west by serving for a few years as a dubious lawman is problematic at best, especially considering that the legality of his own actions was often in doubt.
Second: the author keeps harping on the notion that 'ole Wild Bill only fired when he had to, and tried to avoid violence whenever possible - which is likewise questionable. Hickok himself often bragged about the number of men he had killed, and relished the idea that outlaws were afraid of him. As stated, this is a fun read, especially if it inspires kids to pick up a history book, but issues with accuracy and the way in which historical figures are portrayed by their biographers should be discussed with young readers. There's a lesson in that, too.
In short, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok (27 May 1837-2 Aug 1876) lived a short but adventuresome life, and is known as something of a folk hero for his exploits on the frontier. At some point, he was a soldier, scout, gunslinger, gambler, showman and occasional lawman whose renown was admittedly enhanced by the many tall tales told about him. Like many frontier figures, Hickok wasn't born in the west. He was born and raised on a farm in Northern Illinois, but he left home early and worked his way west. His father was an abolitionist whose farm reportedly served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Hickok reportedly became a first-rate marksman in his youth, a skill which, depending on how you look at it, either stood him in good stead, or resulted in his death. Hickok left home at eighteen, in 1855, and moved to Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory where he joined the Free State Army (Jayhawkers), an anti-slavery vigilante group which was active during the Bleeding Kansas era. It was there he also first met "Buffalo" Bill Cody, who was just twelve at the time.
While serving as a driver for a freight company, he was nearly fatally mauled by a bear, having narrowly escaped death with a crushed chest, shoulder and arm, rendering him bed-ridden for four months. The book describes this incident in some detail - considering the poor state of medical care at the time, it is indeed a wonder that Hickok survived this attack. He then went to the Rock Creek Station in Nebraska to work as a stable hand while he recovered.
Hickok eventually joined the Kansas Brigade during the Civil War, and worked for the provost marshal of Southwest Missouri as a member of the Springfield detective police. He was responsible for some policing duties such as identifying troops in uniform who were drinking on duty, verifying hotel liquor licenses and collections for the army.
It was at this time that Wild Bill faced a second trial for murder: the first was the McCanles incident, whereby David McCanles went to the Rock Creek Station to demand overdue payment from the station manager. The facts are somewhat murky, but what is clear that McCanles was killed after reportedly threatening the manager, either by the manager or Bill Hickok. In any event, no one was convicted for the killing. Wild Bill was arrested yet again for the murder of Davis Tutt, with whom he apparently had disagreements over gambling debts, and, more significantly, the attentions of the same woman. The two engaged in a quick-draw duel over a pocket watch, whereby Tutt was shot through the heart and killed.
Hickok narrowly escaped conviction, because the duel wasn't really self-defense. He was acquitted in any case. He later became the city marshal of Hays, Kansas, and sheriff of Ellis County. It was here that his reputation as a lawman began to take shape. A couple of years later, he served as Marshal of Abilene, Kansas, replacing another marshal who had been killed in the line of duty attempting to serve an arrest warrant. However, an accidental shooting ended his law enforcement career a few years later - Hickok shot and killed Deputy Marshal Mike Williams, who was actually coming to his aid, an event which reportedly haunted him for the rest of his life.
It was about this time that Hickok recruited a team to put on an outdoor demonstration "The Daring Buffalo Chase of the Plains," which featured six bison, a bear and a monkey. She show failed but in 1873, Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro invited him to join their troupe, but that venture was short-lived. He married in 1876, in Cheyenne, and shortly thereafter made a fateful move to South Dakota to begin a mining operation.
On August 1, Hickok was playing poker at a local saloon in Deadwood, when a drunk man, Jack McCall, sat down to play. After losing heavily, Hickok told him to quit, and even offered to give him money for breakfast so that he could sober up, but apparently that wasn't sufficient, and the man took it as an insult. The following day, Hickok was playing poker again, sitting with his back to the door - an unusual situation for the former lawman. He even reportedly asked twice for another man at the table to change seats with him, but the man refused.
It was to be his fatal undoing: McCall reportedly entered the saloon, and, without a word, drew his Colt 1873 Single Action Army .45 revolver and shouted, "take that!", shooting Hickok in the back of the head at point-blank range. Hickok died instantly, but the bullet went through his right cheek and struck another player in the wrist. The poker hand Hickok reportedly held at the time of his death, two pairs of black aces and eights, has become widely known as the "dead man's hand" as a result.
The murderer, McCall, however, claimed that there was more to the story: he told an informal "miners' jury" that he was avenging Hickok's earlier murder of his own brother, a man named Lew McCall, who had been killed by an unknown lawman in Abilene. It's unclear whether or not Lew McCall was actually killed by Hickok - the evidence which does exist casts doubt on the claim. In any event, McCall was shockingly acquitted and released, but faced a second, formal trial, held in Yankton, where he was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. Sentence was carried out on March 1, 1877. Jack McCall was later exhumed when the cemetery was moved in 1881, and was found to still be wearing the noose around his neck, which was reportedly left in place when he was reburied.
Hickok's body was claimed by his friend Charlie Utter, who placed an obituary about him and included details about the event in the local paper. Hickok was buried first in Ingelside cemetery in Deadwood, which quickly filled up. On the third anniversary of his original burial, Utter had him moved to the new Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, where he remains today. Due to his fame, or notoriety, Hickok went through many grave markers - souvenir hunters destroyed several, including when an iron cage was cut into and a statue removed from the grave site in the 1950s, but it has since been replaced.
Wild Bill Hickok remains a household name, even if people know few facts about his actual life. The first motion picture about him was a silent film, released in 1923. Several others followed, many of which were of dubious accuracy. The most recent film version was in the HBO series "Deadwood," where Wild Bill was played by Keith Carradine. Many actual details of his life have, over the decades, been obscured by legend, and, even in his own time, outright fabrication or exaggeration, but his is still a remarkable life of adventure, one which was tragically cut short.
The author, Stewart Hall Holbrook (1893 - 1964) was something of a colorful figure himself. He wrote several other books in this series, including the one on Wyatt Earp, which I didn't really care for that much - this one is somewhat better), The Swamp Fox, Davy Crockett, and Ethan Allen. Holbrook seems to focus on biographies, but some are better than others - it's kind of hit or miss. He's described himself as a logger, writer, and "low brow" historian whose writings center on the "Far Corner" area - Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
His particular interests include the railroads, the timber industry, and even painting - he produced several satirical paintings under the pseudonym "Mr. Otis." Holbrook also wrote for "The Oregonian" newspaper for over thirty years. He's so well known in the area that there's an award named for him, the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award, which is presented to a person or organization who has made significant contributions to Oregon's literary community.
This was a fun read, because, like some of the others, it reads somewhat like an old West dime novel - but that's about what it's worth, in terms of accuracy. First: the notion that Wild Bill Hickok, whose exploits were usually questionable, "tamed" the west is preposterous, and, frankly, not a little insulting to the ACTUAL lawmen, many of whom gave their lives after a lengthy, exhausting career - like the man Hickok himself replaced, who was murdered while serving a routine arrest warrant. The notion that Hickok tamed the west by serving for a few years as a dubious lawman is problematic at best, especially considering that the legality of his own actions was often in doubt.
Second: the author keeps harping on the notion that 'ole Wild Bill only fired when he had to, and tried to avoid violence whenever possible - which is likewise questionable. Hickok himself often bragged about the number of men he had killed, and relished the idea that outlaws were afraid of him. As stated, this is a fun read, especially if it inspires kids to pick up a history book, but issues with accuracy and the way in which historical figures are portrayed by their biographers should be discussed with young readers. There's a lesson in that, too.
March 12, 2024
Here are a few lessons.
1. Great men are contradictory. Hickok seems to be a contrast of strongly grounded principles, and situational ethics. He grew up in a home that helped free slaves and bring them to safety in the underground railroad. Thus, he hated lying. And yet he lied to in order to kill his Confederate guard. He despised unnecessary bloodshed, and yet he killed a Pawnee brave simply as a spy to save himself from the ranging tribe on the brave's swift pony. He shot a man who had just attempted robbery, but had since fled. While most of Hickok's actions seem to have been in self-defense, I would not want to stand in his shoes, either on this earth or before God. And his life does seem to demonstrate that those who live by the sword will die by the sword, given his shocking murder at the end.
2. The western half of the Civil was southern aggression, whereas the eastern half was of northern perpetration. While most of the battles in the eastern half of the war were fought on Southern territory, thus yielding a mostly defensive war for the Confederacy east of the Mississippi, most of the battles west were fought in Kansas and Missouri, where the southern troops marched pretty far north before the Union army was finally able to defend those states.
3. "They lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives." ~Prov. 1:18 The very money that Jack McCall received for shooting Hickok paid for the alcohol, with which in his inebriated state, he bragged to a constable of his feat in shooting Hickok. On his own word, he was tried and sentenced to death.
1. Great men are contradictory. Hickok seems to be a contrast of strongly grounded principles, and situational ethics. He grew up in a home that helped free slaves and bring them to safety in the underground railroad. Thus, he hated lying. And yet he lied to in order to kill his Confederate guard. He despised unnecessary bloodshed, and yet he killed a Pawnee brave simply as a spy to save himself from the ranging tribe on the brave's swift pony. He shot a man who had just attempted robbery, but had since fled. While most of Hickok's actions seem to have been in self-defense, I would not want to stand in his shoes, either on this earth or before God. And his life does seem to demonstrate that those who live by the sword will die by the sword, given his shocking murder at the end.
2. The western half of the Civil was southern aggression, whereas the eastern half was of northern perpetration. While most of the battles in the eastern half of the war were fought on Southern territory, thus yielding a mostly defensive war for the Confederacy east of the Mississippi, most of the battles west were fought in Kansas and Missouri, where the southern troops marched pretty far north before the Union army was finally able to defend those states.
3. "They lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives." ~Prov. 1:18 The very money that Jack McCall received for shooting Hickok paid for the alcohol, with which in his inebriated state, he bragged to a constable of his feat in shooting Hickok. On his own word, he was tried and sentenced to death.
October 27, 2018
I know the reviews are mixed because Holbrook sensationalizes Wild Bill, but it does make for an entertaining story and definitely one that celebrates the myth of the American West and Manifest Destiny. Like many of the Landmark books, this one is really comprised of a series of moments strung together to characterize the man, rather than a full biography. After the second mention of Wild Bill insisting that "vulgar" signs be removed from bars that he patrolled as marshal, I had to look it up. I wasn't disappointed. Coe's bar had a bull with "full masculinity" on display, which made me chuckle imagining this great American figure having to police phallic symbols at bars. Anyway, this is definitely one of the more fun books (if one can ignore the casual violence against scores of people) than many of the more historically accurate books.
April 24, 2024
What can I say? I picked up this ancient book at a used bookstore. Copywright 1952.
I learned a bit about James (Wild Bill) Hickok, but this was a very poorly written and edited book. Can't recommend it.
One good thing i learned was that as a boy growing up in Illinois, James Hickok accompanied his father on trips along the Underground Railroad. Thier house was a stop along the railroad and they participated in smuggling poor black slaves to the next stop north of them at the risk to their own lives.
I learned a bit about James (Wild Bill) Hickok, but this was a very poorly written and edited book. Can't recommend it.
One good thing i learned was that as a boy growing up in Illinois, James Hickok accompanied his father on trips along the Underground Railroad. Thier house was a stop along the railroad and they participated in smuggling poor black slaves to the next stop north of them at the risk to their own lives.
December 15, 2025
I think this landmark deserved four stars. It was very good. Hickok's life was one example of providence after another. I got more and more surprised every time he survived more things. When he was captured by the southern forces in the Civil war, and then it starts raining and he can see enough to pull a random knife out of the wall and safe himself was another time when providence saved him. I was very surprised, and even pleased, with his reaction to the show business.
May 29, 2019
I'm reliving my childhood by re-reading Landmark history books this year. 105 down, 80 more to go.
Wild Bill Hickock sure did a lot of living (as well as a lot of killing) in his brief 39 years.
Wild Bill Hickock sure did a lot of living (as well as a lot of killing) in his brief 39 years.
May 6, 2016
This biography made me wonder what the definition of a biography is. The author glossed over how easily Wild Bill killed people, for one thing. In his view, Wild Bill nearly always killed in self defense.
My copy was borrowed from a Jr. Biography section of a small library and I would not recommend grade school age to read this biography unless it was part of a larger study of his life and a parent was involved which is why I gave it an okay rating.
There are many biographies about Wild Bill Hickok.
My copy was borrowed from a Jr. Biography section of a small library and I would not recommend grade school age to read this biography unless it was part of a larger study of his life and a parent was involved which is why I gave it an okay rating.
There are many biographies about Wild Bill Hickok.
April 20, 2013
I'm trying not to spend EVERY night with an episode of Deadwood...
February 13, 2014
Best book ever I love the old west
July 25, 2014
I really didn't like the style of the book or Wild Bill. The author seemed to quick to defend him after he killed people. =P
February 4, 2015
It was interesting.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews