Thread by @kwabenafoli

I’ve been studying Black Cowboys for years. I’m THRILLED they actually have Deadwood Dick, Cherokee Bill, Mary Fields and other historical black cowboys in the film! #TheHarderTheyFall

Something we need to know cause I understand the sentiments for the character’s original story to be portrayed - but that would be like 8 different films. Their stories are so crazy there wouldn’t be a way to tell them as they actually happened in one setting.

I imagined it took a lot of creativity to take all these big, complex characters and create a single entertaining film. At least they told us that all the characters existed - therefore its our job to do the work of research. That said…

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the characters in #TheHarderTheyFall with the actual folk. Lets start with Mary Fields. Who was she? THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO DELIVER THE MAIL. Carried a rifle & revolver to protect her stagecoach as she travelled, thus “Stagecoach Mary”.

Nat Love aka Deadwood Dick was a charismatic cowpuncher - never was an outlaw tho was he friend to folk like Billy the Kid. Check out his autobiography. Mind you - this guy was NOT humble. He was a loud & proud cowboy that relished in his tales of gun fights.

Rufus Buck Gang were multiracial outlaws (Black & Cherokee Indian). Make no mistake about it: these guys were dirtbags. They raped, kidnapped, murdered, and robbed anyone they wanted including Black & white children, women, stores, and police officers.

Speaking of dirtbags - gotta mention Cherokee Bill. He was a psychopathic killer that murdered twenty-one people by the age of 20. Caught & hung before he turned 21. His last words at the gallows were “I came here to die, not to make a speech.”

Gertrude Smith is the character we know the least about of the cast. What we do know is that she was a infamous pickpocket, and worked with another woman named Dolly Mickey (also a pickpocket). She did six months in jail.

James Beckworth aka “Bloody Arm”. He was never an outlaw but a mountain man, trader, and fur trapper. Everyone, including himself, believed he was part Indian and later became a chief in the Crow nation. Discovered trails that helped settlers in the west build communities. A 🐐.

Does Bass Reeves really need an introduction? The first black U.S. Marshall credited with over 3,000 arrests with 14 kills. Definitely the most know character in the film.

Cuffee is based on Cathay Williams - the first black woman to enlist in the Army. She went under the pseudonym “Williams Cathay” or “John Williams” to pose as a man during the American Indian Wars.

Wiley Escoe was also a lawman like Bass Reeves. Served in the Ft. Smith, Arkansas region. His story (as well as other Black lawman) gets overshadowed by Bass Reeves but still - Wiley wasn’t the kind of guy you can just roll up on and start throwing hands. You’ll be dead lol.

What if I told you the best rodeo performer, and also the one whom many imitate today, was a Black cowboy named Bill Pickett? Master of bulldogging. Entertainer of his time. Died of a fractured skull after being kicked in the head by a horse - at 71 years old.

Liberties were taken in the film of course, but the mentioning of their names in mainstream entertainment is an achievement in itself. Check out the film and research the legacies of these amazing historical figures. It’s worth the time. #TheHarderTheyFall