How Much Do You Know About Gunslinger Bill Hickok? (2025)

By Media Feed | Published 14 hours ago

Although the bloodthirsty, lawless perception people tend to have of the Old West is more than a little exaggerated, some figures do nonetheless embody what made it so wild. Indeed, it’s hard to think of a person who encapsulates the gunslinging reputation of the time period better than Wild Bill Hickok.

Hickok’s tales from both sides of the law have gotten bigger in the telling, but the reality is still plenty wild. Considering that his legend was exaggerated even while he was still alive, it’s worth going through some illuminating facts to determine just how wild Wild Bill really was.

Hickok Started His Career As An Anti-Slavery Bodyguard

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hickok’s father abhorred slavery, and he was clearly brought up with similar values, as he traveled to Kansas as a teenager with the express purpose of involving himself in a civil conflict over the matter.

There, he joined a group of anti-slavery fighters called the Free State Army of Jayhawkers. He was tasked with protecting the group’s leader, who would eventually become known as the controversial Senator James H. Lane. Although Lane would later be described as corrupt and opportunistic, that was less clear at the time.

“Bill” Wasn’t His Real Name, And His Legend Started Big

Hickok clearly took after his father in more than just his attitude to slavery, as “Bill” wasn’t even Wild Bill’s birth name. James Butler Hickok was born in Homer (now Troy Grove), Illinois, to William Alonzo Hickok and Pamelia Hickok on May 27, 1837.

When he moved to Kansas, he adopted his father’s name. Afterwards, he was working as a stock tender at Rock Creek Station in Nebraska, when a man named David McCanles physically confronted him after months of insults. Hickok shot him and two of his associates after a warning, but an article in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine exaggerated this story as early as 1867. In their account, Hickok killed nine men single-handedly rather than three with the help of his coworkers.

Hickok Was A Lifelong Friend And Mentor Of Buffalo Bill

According to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, Hickok first met Buffalo Bill Cody in 1857, when the latter was 11 years old. Hickok intervened when the child was about to get beaten up on a wagon train. Cody never forgot the incident and later said, “From that time forward, Wild Bill was my protector and intimate friend, and the friendship thus begun continued until his death.”

Indeed, even Cody’s famous Wild West Show was inspired by Hickok, as Wild Bill had a similar traveling show featuring three cowboys, six wild buffalo, four members of the Comanche nation, and their pet monkey and brown bear in 1870. However, Hickok’s was much less successful than Cody’s would turn out to be, as he made only $121.89 from the show after investing $2,000.

He Was A Union Spy During The Civil War

According to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, Hickok never signed up for the Union Army during the American Civil War, despite his history as an anti-slavery fighter in Kansas. Instead, the only official enlistment logged for him was as a member of the Confederate Army.

However, this official information doesn’t match the reality of his service at the time, as he was infiltrating the Confederate Army for the Union. Although his espionage was discovered by the Confederates before the war was over, he was able to escape their wrath in time.

Hickok Had Revenge On McCanles Before He Killed Him

Prior to their final confrontation, McCanles used to torment Hickok with the nickname “Duck Bill,” as well as make baseless claims about him being intersex (though not in those terms). Although Hickok was by no means scared when McCanles confronted him for the last time, that wasn’t the beginning of his humiliation.

According to the History Channel, Hickok made a point of secretly courting McCanles’s mistress, Sarah Shull, after experiencing these indignities from the man. Although it’s possible that their affair factored into Hickok’s confrontation with McCanles, it’s also unclear whether McCanles actually found out about it.

Cody Was Only An Army Scout Because Of Hickok

After the Civil War, Hickok became a deputy U.S. Marshal based in Fort Riley, Kansas. In September 1866, Hickok encountered Cody again in Junction City before the two traveled together to Fort Ellsworth. There, Cody was taken on as an Army scout for the first time in his long career.

While Cody would go on to become a legend of the West in his own right, he wasn’t known to anyone but Hickok by the time he was hired. According to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, his friendship with Hickok was considered a primary factor in the Army’s decision to appoint him.

Hickok Had A Legendary Mentor Of His Own

Although Hickok was a role model for Cody in some ways, both men looked up to the legendary frontiersman and explorer named Kit Carson, who was particularly known for surviving in rugged mountain environments.

Cody managed to meet Carson shortly before the latter died in 1867, and ended up naming his only son after him. Hickok, however, had met Carson at a much more vulnerable time in his life. According to the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, Hickok met him while he was serving as a stage driver through the Raton Mountains between 1859 and 1860.

Hickok Killed A Bear Up Close And Personal

Although a bear is a challenging foe for even an experienced frontier legend, the chances of defeating one when you’re already in its clutches are slim to none. However, Hickok was similar to Davy Crockett in that he was one of the few to have lived to tell of such a feat.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Hickok found himself wrestling and killing a black bear while he was driving freight from Missouri to New Mexico. His shoulder, chest, and arm were apparently severely injured in the encounter, which left him bedridden for months.

The Sterotypical Wild West Showdown Came From Hickok

According to the History Channel, Hickok was living in Springfield, Missouri, when he came across a man named Davis Tutt in the summer of 1865. Although Tutt was a former Confederate soldier, both had once been friends before Tutt confronted Hickok about a poker debt on July 20. When Hickok argued about it, Tutt stole his prized pocket watch and sought to embarrass him by wearing it publicly.

Although the two tried to settle their differences over a drink, Tutt ended up doing as promised, leading to a confrontation in the town square. Although Hickok warned Tutt not to approach, he did, and the two drew their guns 75 yards away from each other. Both fired in quick succession, but Hickok struck true, and Tutt passed away.

Hickok Got Away With Killing Tutt

Until his time as a U.S. Marshal, frontier justice seemed to be on Hickok’s side to an uncanny degree since 1861, as he neither faced punishment for killing McCanles nor for Tutt. However, Tutt’s case was nearly far more troubling for him, as he was charged with manslaughter, and Tutt’s supporters argued Hickok shot in in cold blood with his gun already drawn.

However, the History Channel noted that witnesses on Hickok’s side countered that both guns were fired at the same time, presenting Tutt’s gun with one empty chamber as evidence. With this evidence, the conflict was determined to be a fair fight, and the jury acquitted Hickok within minutes.

His Gunslinging Days Ended In Regret

Although he was able to go from a renegade gunslinger to a lawman, Hickok’s time as a sheriff ended ignominiously. According to the History Channel, Hickok was involved in a shootout in Abilene, Kansas, in 1871 that resulted in the death of his deputy.

Worse yet, the fatal shot came from Hickok’s gun, though this was the result of an unfortunate accident. Hickok appeared to be deeply guilt-ridden in the wake of the incident, as he was never involved in another gunfight again. He lived off his reputation after this, and sometimes worked as a guide for wealthy hunters.

Buffalo Bill Tried To Help Him Back On his Feet

Although Cody’s famous Buffalo Bill Wild West Show wouldn’t begin until after Hickok’s death, he did provide his old friend with an opportunity to perform with him onstage in Rochester, New York, after Hickok’s dismissal as a sheriff.

While the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave noted that he performed intermittently between 1872 and 1874, other accounts suggested that Hickok couldn’t tolerate the stage nearly as much as Cody could. This was especially evident when he reportedly shot out of the spotlights during one of their shows. He headed west again after growing fed up with the stage.

His Final Years Were Sad And Unglamorous

By 1876, Hickok found that there were no more opportunities for him, especially as his renowned eyesight degraded. Eventually, he found himself aimlessly wandering the West as a gambler. His lack of success during this period spoke for itself, as he was arrested for vagrancy several times.

By the time of his death, he had found himself in Deadwood, South Dakota, and frequented the Number Ten saloon, where he struggled as a poker player. On August 2, he was playing poker with his back to the saloon door when a young man named Jack McCall walked in and shot him in the back of the head. He was apparently aggrieved by his losses at the table and Hickok’s offer to pay for his breakfast the day before.

The “Dead Man’s Hand” Comes From Hickok

In biker circles, it’s not unusual to don iconography that makes reference to “aces and eights,” which typically incorporates the ace of spades. As shown here, a suit containing all-black aces and eights is known as a “dead man’s hand” and Hickok’s last day on earth forms the foundation for why.

That’s because legend has it that when Hickok was shot, he was playing five-card stud and his hand was showing two black aces and two black eights. The hole card remains the subject of debate, but it’s typically depicted as a diamond. The diamond is often a queen but not always.

Calamity Jane Was Buried Next To Him

This photo depicts Calamity Jane at Hickok’s grave, and her legend would become deeply intertwined with his, which South Dakota University Press would describe as deliberate mythmaking by the people of Deadwood themselves, among other writers. Indeed, it was likely their decision to bury Jane next to him.

Although both were known as scouts and they were confirmed to have traveled together, it’s even harder to separate fact from fiction in their shared legend than it already is for their respective legends. However, the consensus view among modern historians is that their friendship and time together were shorter than people tend to imagine.