WHILE THE STORY TOLD IN THE NETFLIX FILM RELEASED TODAY IS ENTIRELY FICTIONAL, MANY OF ITS CHARACTERS WERE HISTORICAL FIGURES.
Nat Love
The real Nat Love was born into slavery in 1854. After the Civil War, his family was freed and began working on plantations in and around Davidson County, Tennessee. Nat’s father passed away when he was about 15 years old. During his time in Tennessee, Nat became skilled at cattle punching and raised enough money to go out on his own at the age of 16.
By many historical accounts, Nat was a skilled cowboy. He earned the name “Deadwood Dick” in 1876 after winning $200 in a competition in the Dakota Territory that required contestants to rope, throw, tie bridles, and saddle a horse.
In 1889, Love married his wife Alice and retired from cowboy life. After spending time in Denver as a Pullman porter, he and his family settled in southern California.In 1907, Love published his autobiography, Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as ‘Deadwood Dick,’ by Himself, which added to his legacy as a cowboy. Love died in California at the age of 67 in 1921.
Rufus Buck
The leader of the Rufus Buck Gang, a group of black and mixed-race teenage boys who committed horrible crimes against settlers in the Indian Territory that eventually became known as Oklahoma.
Led by the 18-year-old Rufus Buck(center), the members of the gang included Maoma July, Lucky Davis, Sam Sampson, and Lewis Davis. In 1895, the gang robbed, raped, and murdered; eventually being captured in August of that year. On July 1, 1896, the gang was hanged.
Stagecoach Mary
Born Mary Fields in about 1832, “Black Mary,” as she was sometimes referred to, was a slave at birth. In her early years, she worked as groundskeeper at the Ursuline Convent of the Sacred Heart in Toledo, Ohio. She was known for her volatile temper and gun-toting, which eventually led to her being kicked out of the convent.
In 1895, she earned a contract from the postal service as a route carrier. Her job was to protect the mail from thieves and deliver the mail, regardless of weather conditions. She was the second woman—and first African American woman—to have that occupation. Mary retired in 1904 and died 11 years later at the age of 82.
Bass Reeves
Born to slave parents in 1838 in Arkansas, Bass Reeves was a member of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After being freed in 1863, he married a woman named Nellie Jennie and started a large family. By several accounts, Reeves served as a guide for U.S. marshals going into the Indian Territory.
He was appointed a U.S. deputy marshal in 1875, and arrested over 3,000 criminals, killing 14 outlaws in the process. He died in 1910 from nephritis.
James Beckwourth
Born into slavery in Virginia, James Beckwourth was freed by his white father and apprenticed as blacksmith in his early years. He was a skilled fighter and made a living as a fur trader in the old American West. His memoir, The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth: Mountaineer, Scout and Pioneer, and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians, was published in 1856 and he is celebrated as an early African American pioneer to this day.
Cherokee Bill
Born Crawford Goldsby in 1876, Bill and his group, the Cook Gang, ravaged the Indian territory in 1895 and 1896. He began his life as an outlaw at the age of 18, robbing stagecoaches, banks, and stores. Bill was said to have killed up to eight men before being hanged in 1896.
Bill Pickett
Pickett—born Willie M. Pickett in 1870—was a cowboy, performer and appeared in early films such as The Bull-Dogger and The Crimson Skull. His career as a performer at county fairs and rodeos led him to be posthumously inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989.
Wiley Escoe
While there is not a large amount of information on Wiley Escoe in circulation, he was known as a lawman, and a Black deputy U.S. Marshal.
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Nat Love
The real Nat Love was born into slavery in 1854. After the Civil War, his family was freed and began working on plantations in and around Davidson County, Tennessee. Nat’s father passed away when he was about 15 years old. During his time in Tennessee, Nat became skilled at cattle punching and raised enough money to go out on his own at the age of 16.
By many historical accounts, Nat was a skilled cowboy. He earned the name “Deadwood Dick” in 1876 after winning $200 in a competition in the Dakota Territory that required contestants to rope, throw, tie bridles, and saddle a horse.
In 1889, Love married his wife Alice and retired from cowboy life. After spending time in Denver as a Pullman porter, he and his family settled in southern California.In 1907, Love published his autobiography, Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as ‘Deadwood Dick,’ by Himself, which added to his legacy as a cowboy. Love died in California at the age of 67 in 1921.
Rufus Buck
The leader of the Rufus Buck Gang, a group of black and mixed-race teenage boys who committed horrible crimes against settlers in the Indian Territory that eventually became known as Oklahoma.
Led by the 18-year-old Rufus Buck(center), the members of the gang included Maoma July, Lucky Davis, Sam Sampson, and Lewis Davis. In 1895, the gang robbed, raped, and murdered; eventually being captured in August of that year. On July 1, 1896, the gang was hanged.
Stagecoach Mary
Born Mary Fields in about 1832, “Black Mary,” as she was sometimes referred to, was a slave at birth. In her early years, she worked as groundskeeper at the Ursuline Convent of the Sacred Heart in Toledo, Ohio. She was known for her volatile temper and gun-toting, which eventually led to her being kicked out of the convent.
In 1895, she earned a contract from the postal service as a route carrier. Her job was to protect the mail from thieves and deliver the mail, regardless of weather conditions. She was the second woman—and first African American woman—to have that occupation. Mary retired in 1904 and died 11 years later at the age of 82.
Bass Reeves
Born to slave parents in 1838 in Arkansas, Bass Reeves was a member of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After being freed in 1863, he married a woman named Nellie Jennie and started a large family. By several accounts, Reeves served as a guide for U.S. marshals going into the Indian Territory.
He was appointed a U.S. deputy marshal in 1875, and arrested over 3,000 criminals, killing 14 outlaws in the process. He died in 1910 from nephritis.
James Beckwourth
Born into slavery in Virginia, James Beckwourth was freed by his white father and apprenticed as blacksmith in his early years. He was a skilled fighter and made a living as a fur trader in the old American West. His memoir, The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth: Mountaineer, Scout and Pioneer, and Chief of the Crow Nation of Indians, was published in 1856 and he is celebrated as an early African American pioneer to this day.
Cherokee Bill
Born Crawford Goldsby in 1876, Bill and his group, the Cook Gang, ravaged the Indian territory in 1895 and 1896. He began his life as an outlaw at the age of 18, robbing stagecoaches, banks, and stores. Bill was said to have killed up to eight men before being hanged in 1896.
Bill Pickett
Pickett—born Willie M. Pickett in 1870—was a cowboy, performer and appeared in early films such as The Bull-Dogger and The Crimson Skull. His career as a performer at county fairs and rodeos led him to be posthumously inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989.
Wiley Escoe
While there is not a large amount of information on Wiley Escoe in circulation, he was known as a lawman, and a Black deputy U.S. Marshal.
Meet The Real-Life Figures Depicted In The Black Western 'The Harder They Fall' | Essence
While the story told in the Netflix film released today is entirely fictional, many of its characters were historical figures.
www.essence.com
