Isam Dart facts for kids
Isom Dart (born around 1858 – died October 3, 1900) was a famous cowboy, rancher, and horseman in the Wild West during the late 1800s. He was known for being an amazing rider and roper. He lived in a place called Browns Park in Colorado. His neighbors thought he was a good person and very skilled, even though he was also known for taking cattle that didn't belong to him. Isom Dart and his friend Mat Rash were both shot and killed. Many people believe a hired detective named Tom Horn was responsible for their deaths.
In 1927, a book was published that incorrectly said Isom Dart was born in Arkansas and used another name, Ned Huddleston. This information was later found to be wrong.
Contents
Early Life and Cowboy Skills
According to the Museum of Northwest Colorado, Isom Dart was born in Texas around 1858. His father, Cyrus Dart, was a farmer. Isom had a sister and two brothers. His family lived in a community with many different people, including Hispanic, Native American, Black, and white families.
As a teenager, Isom started earning money by rounding up wild cattle. He worked on the famous Goodnight Ranch. He also worked with a man named Terresa, catching horses.
Life in Wyoming and Browns Park
In 1881, Isom Dart was part of a group that moved cattle north to Wyoming Territory. He worked on a big ranch there, handling horses. He also worked as a cook at a railroad camp between Green River and Rock Springs.
In 1883, Isom joined a cattle drive to the Browns Park area in northwestern Colorado. This area was close to the borders of Wyoming and Utah. He worked for Herb and Elizabeth Bassett. The Bassetts had five children, including Josie and Ann Bassett, who became well-known. Because there wasn wasn't much law enforcement, Browns Park attracted outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch. This made it hard for ranchers to use all the open land.
Isom Dart's Role in the Community
While working for the Bassetts, Isom Dart was a ranch hand. He also cooked, washed clothes, cut wood, and helped with other chores. Elizabeth Bassett was thought to be the leader of a group that took cattle, and Isom was part of this group.
Isom was very kind to children. He often babysat for Josie Bassett and her husband Jim McKnight. He played the harmonica and fiddle for the kids. He sang songs, put on shows, and taught them how to ride horses and use a rope.
Isom Dart was an amazing cowboy. He was known as a skilled bronco buster, meaning he could train wild horses. His friend, Joe Davenport, said in 1929 that Isom Dart was the best all-around cowboy he had ever seen. Even though Black people often faced unfair treatment back then, Isom was highly respected by many. He and his partner, Madison (Mat) Rash, had their own cattle businesses. They were sometimes accused of taking cattle that didn't belong to them.
A Story of Isom Dart's Character
Isom Dart was known as an outlaw, but he was never found guilty of a crime. In one story, a deputy sheriff arrested Isom. As they were traveling in a wagon, it slipped off the side of a mountain, and the deputy was hurt. Isom rescued the deputy, gave him first aid, and then surrendered to the sheriff. The deputy even spoke up for Isom in court, and because of his testimony, Isom was found not guilty.
Besides ranching and rustling, Isom Dart also caught, trained, and sold wild horses. He branded them with "I D Bar." A rancher named J.S. Hoy wanted to remove smaller ranchers from the area. Hoy's ranch was burned down, and Isom and two other men were accused of the crime. Isom was taken to a jail near Steamboat Springs in 1890. He escaped from jail, stayed hidden in Denver for a while, and then returned to Browns Park in 1894. He was never tried for the arson.
In 1898, Isom Dart was part of a group that tracked down men who had killed a teenager named Willie Strang. They found the men on a rocky hillside.
The Colorado Range War
By 1899, a conflict known as the Colorado Range War began. Large ranchers hired Tom Horn, a detective who used to work for the Pinkerton detective agency. Horn was paid $500 (which was a lot of money back then) for each person accused of rustling who was killed. This money came from the ranchers' association.
Horn pretended to be a horse buyer to find out who was taking cattle. He found out about Isom Dart. Isom lived near Cold Spring Mountain in Browns Park. After his friend Mat Rash was killed on July 8, 1900, Isom invited friends, including Sam and George Bassett, to stay at his cabin, thinking it would be safe.
On October 3, 1900, Isom Dart was shot and killed instantly. He was walking from his cabin to his horse corral. The Bassetts heard the gunshot but didn't see who fired the shot. Isom Dart was buried near his cabin. By the time he died, Isom and Mat Rash had built up two good ranches and owned many cattle and horses.
A jury later looked into Isom's death. They decided that "Isam Dart came to his death, by a rifle shot at the hands of a party unknown." Tom Horn was later accused of killing a 14-year-old boy in 1901. Journalists suspected Horn of killing both Isom Dart and Mat Rash.
Mistakes in History Books
The Museum of Northwest Colorado and other experts say that much of what people thought they knew about Isom Dart was wrong. For example, Isom Dart was not Ned Huddleston, and he was not born into slavery in Arkansas.
The museum explains:
Isam Dart is a fascinating character in US history. Unfortunately, he is best known for untrue tales and for being murdered by the West’s most famous hitman – Tom Horn. There are countless stories about Isam Dart growing up as a slave in Arkansas. After being freed, the story goes, he ran with the vicious Tip Gault Gang under the alias Ned Huddleston. However, nearly all of this is pure fiction – including the very existence of a “Tip Gault Gang”.
The incorrect information about Isom Dart started with a book called "Outskirt Episodes" by W.G. Tittsworth, published in 1927. Other books then repeated these mistakes. One modern writer said that Tittsworth's book was mostly made-up stories. For example, there are no official records for a "Ned Huddleston," and people who knew Isom Dart never knew anyone by that name.
Isom Dart in Movies
- Actor Danny Glover played Isom Dart in the 2012 film Hannah's Law.
- Louis Gossett Jr. played a character named Isom Picket in the 1993 TV movie Return to Lonesome Dove. This character was based on both Isom Dart and another cowboy named Bill Pickett.
See also
- Dr. John Parsons Cabin Complex
- History of slavery in Colorado
- List of African American pioneers of Colorado
- Bill Pickett
- Bose Ikard
- Nat Love
Images for kids
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Isom Dart, with two guns in his belt.
