The Black Hills of South Dakota have hosted their share of legendary characters. Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and Potato Creek Johnny are names well known to anyone with even a passing familiarity with the area. There is, however, another name that exists in the mists of Black Hills lore; that of the masked, black buckskin-clad outlaw Deadwood Dick.
So who was this mysterious gunfighter and highwayman? Deadwood Dick was the fictional creation of Edward Lytton Wheeler, a self-described sensational novelist who wrote the first installment of this series in 1877.
Very little is known of the life of Edward Wheeler. He was born in Avoca, New York in 1854 or 1855 and moved to Pennsylvania in the 1870s. He started writing short newspaper sketches in the mid-1870s and published his first novelette "Hurricane Nell, the Girl Dead-Shot; or The Queen of the Saddle and Lasso" in May of 1877. Deadwood Dick appeared in print in October of that same year. Wheeler wrote approximately 33 more Deadwood Dick stories until 1885. All available evidence indicates Wheeler died in 1885 at the age of 30 or 31. However, there were 97 more Deadwood Dick stories published between 1885-1897 by various ghost-writers using the Wheeler by-line. Because of Edward Wheeler's success and the prolific output of the later ghost writers, Deadwood Dick lived on and became much more famous than his creator.
The novellette "Deadwood Dick, The Prince of the Road; or, The Black Rider of the Black Hills" is a great example of Edward Wheeler's craft. Published in 1877 by Beadle's Half Dime Library, this story has all the elements of Western storytelling told by a man who had never been west of Philadelphia. Wheeler probably got his background information on early Deadwood from sensationalistic newspaper and magazine accounts and added his own peculiar twist. It is interesting to note that Edward Wheeler was writing these stories only a year after Deadwood came into existence. Therefore, while the real legends of Deadwood were being formed, Edward Wheeler was creating a sort of alternate Deadwood reality for his readers in the East.
In the next post we will learn of the exploits of Deadwood Dick, Fearless Frank, and sweet sad-faced Anita,
as they play out "Deadwood Dick, The Prince of the Road; or, The Black Rider of the Black Hills."
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Hugh Glass - The Conclusion
We are nearly at the end of the story of Hugh Glass and his remarkable crawl across the hills and prairies of western South Dakota while suffering the wounds caused by an angry she-grizzly. In anticipation of the many questions readers will have at the end of this discussion, I have decided to turn this last post into a Q and A format.
When did Hugh Glass reach the end of his crawl?
The best estimate is that Hugh reached Fort Kiowa near present day Oacoma, South Dakota in late October, two months after he was mauled and left for dead. He may have been helped by a band of friendly
Sioux Indians at some point and there is also evidence that he may have been strong enough to fashion a crude canoe when he reached the Missouri River which allowed him to float down the river for the last leg of the journey.
Did Hugh Glass get his revenge on Jim Bridger and John Fitzgerald, the men who abandoned him?
No, but it was not for lack of trying. After Hugh reached Fort Kiowa he spent less than a month recovering before he took off with a party headed toward a post at the mouth of the Yellowstone River where he knew young Bridger was located. John Myers, author of The Saga of Hugh Glass speculates that Hugh forgave Bridger because of Bridger's age and inexperience. Frederick Manfred in Lord Grizzly has Hugh and Bridger get into a brawl where young Bridger more than holds his own and earns Hugh's forgiveness and respect.
Hugh Glass next set his sights on John Fitzgerald. He tracked Fitzgerald to Fort Atkinson in Nebraska and probably would have taken his revenge but Fitzgerald had since joined the army. All accounts agree that the military brass would have taken a dim view of Hugh had he killed one of their frontier troopers.
Hugh was able to expose Bridger and Fitzgerald as men who would accept a reward after abandoning a comrade so he did gain some measure of satisfaction. He also got his gun back.
Could Hugh Glass, or any man, really have survived such an ordeal?
There have been those who have doubted the whole Hugh Glass story. Most notably, J. Cecil Alter, a biographer of Jim Bridger, denied the whole episode ever took place. However, enough evidence has been uncovered through the journals and letters of Hugh's contemporaries that it almost certainly did happen. This
body of evidence is well chronicled in The Saga of Hugh Glass.
Hugh Glass was a man singularly equipped to survive such a trial. Remember, he had lived through the horrors of pirate life, had been a prisoner of the Pawnees for four years where he would have gained a PhD in survival skills, and had been one of the earliest of the Mountain Men. Add in the revenge factor and you have the ultimate survivor.
Why isn't the story of Hugh Glass more well known?
Unlike other frontier legends like Buffalo Bill Cody or George A. Custer, Hugh Glass was not a shameless self-promoter. Had he kept journals and written letters to newspaper men back home telling of his adventures no doubt he would have a lake or mountain or 10-k race named in his honor. As it was, Hugh Glass was simply a man trying to earn a living in the best way he knew how.
Has Hollywood ever given the Hugh Glass story a try?
There is a 1971 movie called Man in the Wilderness starring Richard Harris that is loosely based on the Hugh Glass story. The bear mauling scene is especially well done and uses an actual bear rather than some over the top CGI creation.
What happened to Hugh Glass after this was all over?
Hugh Glass resumed his mountain man life after finishing with Bridger and Fitzgerald. He had several more exploits that would also be the stuff of legend if it weren't for the Crawl. Sadly, Hugh's luck ran out some time early in 1833 when he and another man were killed by a band of Ree Indians along the frozen Yellowstone River. It is not known what happened to his gun.
How can I learn more?
Lord Grizzly by Frederick Manfred is the best place to start. Although it is a work of fiction, it is true enough to the story to be informative as well as entertaining. I believe it is a Western classic.
John Myers The Saga of Hugh Glass is the only source I know of that contains the entire body of historical evidence to back up the Hugh Glass story. It is an easy read but Myers' writing style is somewhat different.
It also details the rest of the amazing life of Hugh Glass.
When did Hugh Glass reach the end of his crawl?
The best estimate is that Hugh reached Fort Kiowa near present day Oacoma, South Dakota in late October, two months after he was mauled and left for dead. He may have been helped by a band of friendly
Sioux Indians at some point and there is also evidence that he may have been strong enough to fashion a crude canoe when he reached the Missouri River which allowed him to float down the river for the last leg of the journey.
Did Hugh Glass get his revenge on Jim Bridger and John Fitzgerald, the men who abandoned him?
No, but it was not for lack of trying. After Hugh reached Fort Kiowa he spent less than a month recovering before he took off with a party headed toward a post at the mouth of the Yellowstone River where he knew young Bridger was located. John Myers, author of The Saga of Hugh Glass speculates that Hugh forgave Bridger because of Bridger's age and inexperience. Frederick Manfred in Lord Grizzly has Hugh and Bridger get into a brawl where young Bridger more than holds his own and earns Hugh's forgiveness and respect.
Hugh Glass next set his sights on John Fitzgerald. He tracked Fitzgerald to Fort Atkinson in Nebraska and probably would have taken his revenge but Fitzgerald had since joined the army. All accounts agree that the military brass would have taken a dim view of Hugh had he killed one of their frontier troopers.
Hugh was able to expose Bridger and Fitzgerald as men who would accept a reward after abandoning a comrade so he did gain some measure of satisfaction. He also got his gun back.
Could Hugh Glass, or any man, really have survived such an ordeal?
There have been those who have doubted the whole Hugh Glass story. Most notably, J. Cecil Alter, a biographer of Jim Bridger, denied the whole episode ever took place. However, enough evidence has been uncovered through the journals and letters of Hugh's contemporaries that it almost certainly did happen. This
body of evidence is well chronicled in The Saga of Hugh Glass.
Hugh Glass was a man singularly equipped to survive such a trial. Remember, he had lived through the horrors of pirate life, had been a prisoner of the Pawnees for four years where he would have gained a PhD in survival skills, and had been one of the earliest of the Mountain Men. Add in the revenge factor and you have the ultimate survivor.
Why isn't the story of Hugh Glass more well known?
Unlike other frontier legends like Buffalo Bill Cody or George A. Custer, Hugh Glass was not a shameless self-promoter. Had he kept journals and written letters to newspaper men back home telling of his adventures no doubt he would have a lake or mountain or 10-k race named in his honor. As it was, Hugh Glass was simply a man trying to earn a living in the best way he knew how.
Has Hollywood ever given the Hugh Glass story a try?
There is a 1971 movie called Man in the Wilderness starring Richard Harris that is loosely based on the Hugh Glass story. The bear mauling scene is especially well done and uses an actual bear rather than some over the top CGI creation.
What happened to Hugh Glass after this was all over?
Hugh Glass resumed his mountain man life after finishing with Bridger and Fitzgerald. He had several more exploits that would also be the stuff of legend if it weren't for the Crawl. Sadly, Hugh's luck ran out some time early in 1833 when he and another man were killed by a band of Ree Indians along the frozen Yellowstone River. It is not known what happened to his gun.
How can I learn more?
Lord Grizzly by Frederick Manfred is the best place to start. Although it is a work of fiction, it is true enough to the story to be informative as well as entertaining. I believe it is a Western classic.
John Myers The Saga of Hugh Glass is the only source I know of that contains the entire body of historical evidence to back up the Hugh Glass story. It is an easy read but Myers' writing style is somewhat different.
It also details the rest of the amazing life of Hugh Glass.
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