The Untold Story of the West

One in four cowboys in the American West were Black. After the Civil War, formerly enslaved men found freedom and opportunity on the open range.

Born enslaved in Tennessee, Nat Love became one of the most famous cowboys of the frontier, winning roping and shooting contests across the West.

The first Black deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi, Bass Reeves arrested over 3,000 felons during his legendary career.

Bill Pickett invented bulldogging and became the first Black honoree in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.