Bass Reeves lecture draws crowd, money for statue
by January 14, 2010 7:24 am 129 views
story and photos by Ruby Dean
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Exactly 100 years ago yesterday (Jan. 12), Bass Reeves was pronounced dead and yet his legend still lives.
To mark this event, the Fort Smith Museum of History opened an exhibit in his honor to celebrate Fort Smith’s African-American History for the annual Black History Month exhibit.
Wednesday (Jan. 13) at 6 p.m., Art Burton, professor of history at South Suburban College in South Holland, Ill., presented a program on Bass Reeves at the exhibit’s opening reception. The lecture was sponsored by Lincoln Echo newspaper, the Bass Reeves Legacy Initiative, Entertainment Fort Smith, and the Fort Smith Museum of History. The exhibit also traces black history in Fort Smith. Many descendants of the families who had an impact on Fort Smith were present at tonight’s reception and lecture.
Reeves was the most feared marshal of his time under U.S. Federal Judge Isaac C. Parker. Reeves was born a slave in Texas in 1838 and died in Muskogee, Okla., on Jan. 12, 1910.
Even though Reeves was an African-American and illiterate, he brought in more outlaws than anyone else. He was able to memorize the warrants for every law breaker he was to arrest and bring to trial. Reeves was an expert tracker and detective, both respected and hated, but mostly feared. Reeves was not the first African-American appointed to serve Judge Isaac C. Parker’s federal court as a deputy U.S. Marshal, but he was the most famous Marshal in his day. He was the first African-American inducted into the Great Westerners Hall of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1992.
Before the lecture began, George McGill and Craig Pair, Chairman of the Bass Reeves Legacy Initiative, received funds for the statue. Rob Ratley, area manager for Oklahoma City-based OG&E presented a check for $2,500, and Solomon’s Chest presented a check for $2,500 for the statue along with $500 to the Fort Smith Museum of History.
Numerous books have been written about Bass Reeves, but so far no movies have been made. Burton recently wrote a book about Bass Reeves, “Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves.” Earlier books by Burton include “Black, Buckskin and Blue: African American Scouts and Soldiers on the American Frontier,” and “Black, Red and Deadly: Black Indian Gunfighters of the Indian Territory, 1870-1907.”
Burton lectured on the life of Bass Reeves and his time as marshal under Judge Parker. He said "Bass Reeves is the greatest frontier hero in history,” and added that Reeves “walked in the valley of death for 32 years and brought outlaws in double digits at a time, which was more than any other Marshal.”
Burton also noted that "the inspiration for the Lone Ranger was probably based upon the life of Bass Reeves.” According to Burton, "Getting into a gunfight with Bass Reeves was like committing suicide. You would never win in a gunfight against him.”
Accompanying Burton was T. Baridi Nkokheli, director of the Fort Smith Department of Sanitation. Nkokheli has depicted Marshal Bass Reeves since 2007 on behalf of the City of Fort Smith. He also has lent his support in fundraising with the Bass Reeves Legacy Initiative for the statue of the legendary Marshal to be placed in downtown Fort Smith.
