Wild Bill Hickok: Gun-Fighting Poker Player

Wild Bill Hickok is a man of all trades taking on the responsibilities of a farmer in his youth, a train conductor, a Spy in the Military, and the Marshal of Abilene.

He was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in, even if it meant taking someone’s life.

He was fearless and dedicated to whatever job he was holding at the time.

For leisure, Hickok would play poker at the nearby saloons, often winning enough money to make that his main means of support.

Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979, nearly one-hundred years after he passed away, for his legendary poker playing abilities and his dedication to the game.

James Butler Hickok was born in Troy Grove, Illinois, on May 27th, 1837. After his parents, William Alonzo Hickok and Polly Butler got married, they decided to move to Illinois and start a family.

Over the span of twelve years, they had seven children: five boys and two girls. James Hickok better known today as, Wild Bill Hickok, was the youngest boy of the family.

He got his entire family involved but his association with the group came to an end the moment his father passed away. Hickok was only seventeen years old at the time and it motivated him to take a move to Utica, Illinois in hopes of having a better life.

He ended up working as a wagon driver on the Illinois and Michigan Canal but he was quickly let go from his position for mistreating the horses, even though he swore that he never did.

About two years after Hickok had moved away from his family, his brother Lorenzo decided to join up with him. They headed to the Kansas territory to meet up with other progressive groups that had a passion for abolishing slavery.

There are a myriad of theories out there that explain how Wild Bill earned his name but we’ll present you with the most realistic ones we came across. The first theory supposedly occurred when Hickok and his brother Lorenzo were transporting a wagon load of supplies through Springfield, Missouri.

This version of the story claims that there was an imprisoned Union soldier who was being attacked by a group of Confederates.

Lorenzo and his brother both stood up for the Union Soldier and prevented any harm from coming to him. The way in which the two brothers dealt with these Confederates, earned them their nicknames. Lorenzo Hickok was deemed “Tame Bill”, and James Hickok as referred to as, “Wild Bill.”

Another explanation of how Wild Bill earned his name takes place in Independence, Missouri in a local saloon that was overflowing with people due to a fight between a bartender and some customers that was about to break out.

The crowd quickly dispersed and as Hickok was walking away a women’s voice supposedly whispered, “Good for you, Wild Bill!”

In 1958, after they had been living in Monticello, Kansas for about two years, Hickok decided to run for town Constable, which he successfully won. He was the new sheriff in town and no one was going to stop him from doing his job.

Monticello was a peaceful town and it wasn’t long before Hickok was bored and wanted to try something new.

The following year, he drove freight trains along the Santa Fe Trail and it’s believed that it was during this time that he crossed paths with the famous frontiersman, Kit Carson.

It was also while in this position that Hickok supposedly got attacked by a bear and had some minor injuries from it. He was no longer healthy enough to drive freight trains, so instead he ended up becoming a clerk for the Rock Creek Station in Nebraska. Little did Hickok know that he would meet a man at this station that would change his life forever.

McCanles, the leader of the gang called “Desperados” lived nearby the Rock Creek Station, so it wasn’t long before heard about Hickok’s arrival. As soon as the two men met, they knew they weren’t going to get along.

McCanles would constantly call Hickok, “Duck Bill”, due to his oversized nose, which clearly got underneath his skin. There were also rumors going around that the two men shared a common love interest in a woman named Sarah Shull.

On one particular day, McCanles and two of his men came into the train station, clearly trying to cause problems.

Although no one knows for sure what went down that afternoon, we do know that there was a brutal gunfight, with the only survivor being Hickok. There were no witnesses at the station to prove that Wild Bill had murdered these men, so he wasn’t convicted of any crime.

The American Civil War broke out in 1861 and Hickok was proud to join the Union side of the Civil War. It’s recorded that he participated in the battle of “Wilson Creek” in Missouri but after that battle, he served mainly as a spy for the Union Army.

Hickok faithfully served in the military until the war ended in 1865; he was very pleased with the outcome of the war.

It was now time for Hickok to find a new job, so he headed to Springfield, Missouri to see what he could find. Hickok quickly discovered that Springfield, Missouri was filled with Confederates who were bitter about the outcome of the war. Hickok had issues with one Confederate, in particular, named Tutt, who he had battled against during the war.

Hickok already disliked Tutt for being a Confederate but when he had relations with his current girlfriend, Hickok started plotting his revenge. He developed a relationship with Tutt’s younger sister, which caused drama throughout Tutt’s entire family.

Hickok and Tutt decided to solve things through a game of poker, but luck was not on Hickok’s side that night. Tutt ended up winning Hickok’s favorite watch, ripping it right off his wrist.

Tutt started running his mouth around town, claiming that he was going to wear the watch in Town Square so everyone would know who was victorious. Hickok warned him not to do it, but Tutt proceeded to go to Town Square anyways.

Although Hickok did get arrested for his murder, he was never convicted, pleading to only have been acting in self-defense. This was the first of many gunfights for Wild Bill Hickok!

Hickok moved to Kansas and spent a few years off to farm there but word soon spread about his past military experience and bravery. In the spring of 1871, he was offered a position as the City Marshal of Abilene, which he gratefully accepted for a monthly salary of $150.

Despite having a love for poker, he was forced to break up all the unfair gambling practices in the area.

Abilene was filled with rowdy cowboys and ruthless criminals that would soon come to fear the new Marshal in town, as he wasn’t afraid to use his guns to get a message a crossed. Soon after he took on his position, a dilemma arose.

A new cattle herd was about to arrive in Abilene and although it meant more revenue for shop owners, other citizens were afraid for their safety. It wasn’t uncommon for these cowboys to come through and kill farmers for their land and crops.

City councilmen instructed Hickok to close down all of the nearby prostitution and gambling facilities to prevent things from getting out of control. Hickok and his three deputies were hard at work and did exactly as they were told, even though it made some people very angry.

One of the gambling and prostitution establishments, called the Alamo Saloon, was run by the famous gunfighters: Ben Thompson and Phil Coe. One night Hickok heard gunshots coming from the direction of the bar, so he rushed into the bar and demanded to know who fired the shots.

Coe told him that he had only fired shots at a stray dog in order to scare him away. Hickok, unimpressed with his answer, suggested that they pack up their belonging and skip town but instead of complying with authority, Coe fired shots at Hickok.

Someone came up behind Hickok so he turned around and shot him too before he noticed that it was one of his best deputies and closest friends who were there to support him.

Hickok mourned the loss of his dear friend who had died from the bullet he unknowingly shot at him. He was now more determined than ever to take down every saloon in town, making a once lawless town into a safe place to live.

He resigned towards the end of 1871 and met up with an old friend of his by the name of Buffalo Bill.

Hickok willingly agreed to star in the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show that required him to travel even further out west. Calamity Jane was also a part of the show and she grew very fond of Hickok but their relationship didn’t prosper. During his downtime, Hickok would play poker at the nearby saloons, often winning large amounts of money in a single night.

He used his winnings to start his own show which he named, “The Daring Buffalo Chase of the Plains.” His lucky streak didn’t follow him to Niagara Falls where the show took place, as many people in the audience were seriously injured due to some overactive Buffalos.

Agnes and Hickok first met when he was the Marshal of Abilene, as she was passing through town with her traveling circus show.  Hickok was captivated both by her beauty and her incredible talent.

She was an accomplished dancer, lion tamer, and tightrope walker. Her first husband, William Thatcher Lake, was a well-known circus clown who was shot to death just two years prior.

They went on several dates and really felt connected to one another but when Agnes was ready to move back East to where she grew up, Hickok refused to follow.

Their ceremony was held on March 5th, 1876 and they purchased a lovely home in the East. Hickok traveled to Deadwood, South Dakota in search of gold that he was hoping to find and bring back to her.

On his way to Deadwood, Wild Bill fell ill and headed to a nearby doctor where he diagnosed with several sexually transmitted diseases. Believing there was no way he could ever go back to his wife, he invited Calamity Jane, whose real name was Martha Jane Canary, to travel to Deadwood alongside him.

They spent a great time drinking together at the saloons in Deadwood and Jane would often be by Hickok’s side as he gambled too. He often played Five Card Draw Poker, but he enjoyed playing other variants of poker as well.

Hickok made one final stop at Deadwood’s Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon to play poker with the friends he was traveling with, leaving Jane behind this time. He would usually sit where he could see both doors but this evening was different.

He was positioned so that he could only see the front door and not the back. A man by the name of, Jack McCall, snuck through the back door and swiftly stood behind Hickok, shooting him in the back of the head.

At the time of his death, Hickok was supposedly holding a hand of two black aces and two black eights with the fifth card being the Jack of Diamonds. Even to this day that hand is referred to as, “The Dead Man’s Hand.”

McCall was eventually tried and convicted of Hickok’s murder, being hanged publically for his crime. McCall never explained what his motives were for killing Hickok but many believe that he was a hit-man who had been paid to murder him.

Hickok had pre-arranged for a letter to be sent to Agnes in case he passed away on his journey. In the letter, he wrote,

Agnes wasn’t aware of his relationship with Calamity Jane at the time she received this letter and some people believe she never found out.