Nat Love (June 14, 1854 – February 11, 1921) was an American cowboy and writer active in the period following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. His reported exploits have made him one of the more famous heroes of the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

Early life

Nat Love, (pronounced "Nate", rhymes with "late") was born into

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

on the

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

of Robert Love in

Davidson County, Tennessee Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville ...

on June 14, 1854.''The Real 'Deadwood Dick' ''
Black Hills Visitor online; accessed September 2019 His father was a slave foreman who worked in the plantation's fields, and his mother the manager of its kitchen.
reference: Love, Nat; Los Angeles, California; (1907); ummary & Review by Harry Thomas Documents South collection; ''Nat Love''; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill website; retrieved October 2015''Nat Love, A Cowboy of Excellence''
; African American Registry; accessed October 2015 Love had two siblings: an older sister, Sally, and an older brother, Jordan. Despite slavery-era statutes that outlawed black literacy, he learned to read and write as a child with the help of Sampson, his father. When slavery ended, Love's parents stayed on the Love plantation as

sharecropper Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

s, attempting to raise tobacco and corn on about 20 acres, but Sampson died shortly after the second crop was planted. Afterward, Nat took a second job working on a local farm to help make ends meet. At about this time, he was noted as having a gift for

breaking horses Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse r ...

. After some time of working extra odd jobs in the area, he won a horse in a raffle on two occasions, which he then sold back to the owner for $50 each time. He used the money to leave town, and at the age of 16, headed to the Western United States.

Life as a cowboy

Love traveled to

Dodge City, Kansas Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge (US Army Post), Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The c ...

, where he found work as a

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

with cattle drivers from the Duval Ranch (located on the Palo Duro River in the Texas Panhandle). According to his autobiography, Love fought

cattle rustlers Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English s ...

and endured inclement weather. He trained himself to become an expert marksman and cowboy, for which he earned from his co-workers the moniker Red River Dick. In 1872, Love moved to Arizona, where he found work at the Gallinger Ranch located along the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...

. He wrote in his autobiography that he met Pat Garrett,

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...

, and others while working the cattle drives in Arizona.

"Deadwood Dick"

After driving a herd of cattle to the

rail head In the UK, railheading refers to the practice of travelling further than necessary to reach a rail service, typically by car. The phenomenon is common among commuters seeking a more convenient journey. Reasons for railheading include, but are ...

in Deadwood,

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

, he claimed to have entered a rodeo on the 4th of July in 1876, enticed by the $200 prize money. The only difficulty with this story is that Deadwood newspapers, which covered every event of the Fourth of July celebrations, make no mention of a rodeo that day. He claimed to have won the rope, throw, tie, bridle, saddle, and bronco riding contests. It was at this rodeo that he claims friends and fans gave him the nickname "Deadwood Dick,"''Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience''; p. 175; retrieved . a reference to a

literary character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in ...

created by

Edward Lytton Wheeler Edward Lytton Wheeler (1854/5 – 1885) was a nineteenth century American writer of dime novels. One of his most famous characters is the Wild West rascal Deadwood Dick. His stories of the west mixed fictional characters with real-life personaliti ...

, a

dime novel The dime novel is a form of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S. popular fiction issued in series of inexpensive paperbound editions. The term ''dime novel'' has been used as a catchall term for several different but related forms, r ...

ist of the day.''Texas Ranchouse – Black Cowboys

PBS.org The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

; Text: "...One of the most famous western black cowboys – because he wrote his memoirs ..."; accessed October 2015

Capture and escape

In October 1877, Nat Love wrote that he was captured by a band of

Pima Indians Pima or PIMA may refer to: People * Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico) Places * Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County * Pima County, Arizona * Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...

while rounding up stray cattle near the Gila River in Arizona. Although he claimed to have received over 14 bullet wounds in his career (with "several" received in his fight with the Native Americans while trying to avoid capture), Love wrote that his life was spared because the Indians respected his heritage, a large portion of the band themselves being of mixed blood. He almost married the chief's daughter. The band of Native Americans nursed him back to health, wishing to adopt him into the tribe. Eventually, Love writes, he stole a pony and escaped into West Texas.

Life after being a cowboy

Love left the cowboy life before he married a woman named Alice in 1889 and settled down. They lived in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

initially. He took a job in 1890 as a

Pullman porter Pullman porters were men hired to work for the railroads as porters on sleeping cars. Starting shortly after the American Civil War, George Pullman sought out former slaves to work on his sleeper cars. Their job was to carry passengers’ bagga ...

, which involved overseeing sleeping cars on the

Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

. While working for the railroad, he and his family resided in several western states, before finally moving to southern California. In 1907, Love published his autobiography titled ''Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as 'Deadwood Dick,' by Himself'', which greatly enhanced his legacy. Love spent the latter part of his life as a courier and guard for a securities company in Los Angeles. He died there in 1921 at the age of 66.

In popular culture

Written

Joe R. Lansdale used Love as a character in the story, ''Nine Hide and Horns'', published in the anthology book ''Subterranean Online'' (2009); ''Soldierin'', published in the anthology book ''Warriors'' (2010); the novella, ''

Black Hat Jack ''Black Hat Jack: The True Life Adventures of Deadwood Dick as told by His Ownself'' is a novella written by American author Joe R. Lansdale. It tells the story about African-American cowboy Nat Love, also known as " Deadwood Dick" and his fri ...

'' (2014); and the novel, ''

Paradise Sky ''Paradise Sky'' is a novel written by American author Joe R. Lansdale. It takes place in the post American Civil War era. Plot synopsis Young Willie, the son of a slave in East Texas, is caught looking at the rear end of a white woman. Her husb ...

'' (2015). In 2012, his story was featured in the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

Best Shot in the West ''Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love'' is a 2012 graphic novel written by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack and illustrated by Randy DuBurke. It is about the life of African-American cowboy Nat Love. Reception ''Booklist'', reviewin ...

'' by

Patricia Patricia is a female given name of Latin language, Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word ''Patrician (ancient Rome), patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick (given name), Patrick. The name Patr ...

and

Fredrick McKissack Fredrick Lemuel "Fred" McKissack, Sr. (August 12, 1939 – April 28, 2013) was an African-American writer, best known for collaboration with his wife, Patricia C. McKissack on more than 100 children's books about the history of African Americans. ...

(script) and

Randy DuBurke Randy DuBurke (born 1962) is an American artist best known as the author and illustrator of the Steptoe Award winning book ''The Moon Ring'' (2003) and as the illustrator of '' Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty'' (2010). He previously w ...

(drawings). In 2022, the

Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With encyclopedic collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums between t ...

displayed ''Nat Love, A Cowboy's Life'', a comic adaptation of his autobiography, written and drawn by R. Alan Brooks and colored by Lonnie MF Allen.

Film

In the television movie ''

The Cherokee Kid ''The Cherokee Kid'' is a 1996 American made for television western film directed by Paris Barclay for HBO. The film's stars were Sinbad, James Coburn, Burt Reynolds, Gregory Hines, A Martinez, Ernie Hudson, Dawnn Lewis and Vanessa Bell Cal ...

'' (1996), Nat Love is portrayed by

Ernie Hudson Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. His roles include Winston Zeddemore in the ''Ghostbusters'' film series, Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in ''The Crow'' (1994), and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's '' Oz'' (1997–2003). Hu ...

. In ''They Die by Dawn'' (2013), Love is portrayed by

Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...

Jonathan Majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...

portrayed Nat Love in the film ''

The Harder They Fall The Harder They Fall may refer to: * ''The Harder They Fall'' (1956 film), an American boxing film noir directed by Mark Robson. * ''The Harder They Fall'' (2021 film), an American Western film directed by Jeymes Samuel. * "The Harder They Fall", ...

'' (2021).

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Nat Love
at

Find a Grave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Nat 1854 births 1921 deaths 19th-century American slaves African Americans in the American Old West African-American equestrians Cowboys People from Davidson County, Tennessee People from Dodge City, Kansas Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica