Martha Marguerite Eccles Bullock (1851–1939) was an American pioneer woman who was the wife of

Seth Bullock Seth Bullock (July 23, 1849 – September 23, 1919) was a Canadian-American frontiersman, business proprietor, politician, sheriff, and U.S. Marshal. He was a prominent citizen in Deadwood, South Dakota, where he lived from 1876 until his death, ...

, one of the leading citizens in early

Deadwood, South Dakota Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had it ...

. She and Bullock were married in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, in 1874. Martha Bullock and daughter Margaret were sent to live with her parents in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

in 1876 when Seth Bullock first left for Deadwood, then a wild lawless frontier town and no place for a family; after the town had become more orderly, largely as a result of the efforts of Bullock himself as sheriff, they joined her husband in Deadwood. She became a leading member of local society and excellently managed their household. They subsequently had another daughter, Florence, and a son, Stanley.

In popular culture

Martha Bullock appeared as a supporting character in the HBO television series '' Deadwood'' and '' Deadwood: The Movie'' where she was portrayed by

Anna Gunn Anna Gunn (born August 11, 1968) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Skyler White on the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...

. Several creative liberties were taken with the facts surrounding the real Martha Bullock for the show's character. Unlike her character in the TV series, she was not originally the widow of Bullock's brother, but is reported to have been his childhood sweetheart ; and similarly, rather than having a son by Bullock's brother, she and Bullock actually had a daughter, Margaret, at the time of Bullock's departure for Deadwood.

References

1851 births 1939 deaths People of the American Old West People from Deadwood, South Dakota {{OldWest-bio-stub