Nat Love facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nat Love
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | June 14, 1854 |
| Died | February 11, 1921 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
|
| Other names | Red River Dick; Deadwood Dick |
| Occupation | cowboy, rodeo performer, pullman porter, author |
| Years active | 1866–1921 |
Nat Love (born June 14, 1854 – died February 11, 1921) was an American cowboy. He was born into slavery before the American Civil War ended. After the war, he became known for his amazing adventures. Many people consider him one of the most famous heroes of the Old West.
Contents
Nat Love's Early Life
Nat Love was born in June 1854 on a large farm in Davidson County, Tennessee. His parents were enslaved on this farm. His father worked in the fields, and his mother managed the kitchen. Nat had an older sister, Sally, and an older brother, Jordan.
Even though it was against the law for enslaved people to learn to read and write, Nat's father, Sampson, taught him. After slavery ended, Nat's parents stayed on the farm. They became sharecroppers, which meant they farmed a piece of land and paid the owner with a share of their crops. They tried to grow tobacco and corn.
Sadly, Nat's father died soon after their second crop was planted. To help his family, Nat took another job on a nearby farm. Around this time, people noticed he was very good at training horses. He even won a horse twice in a raffle and sold each one back to the owner for $50. He used this money to leave home at age 16 and travel West.
Adventures as a Cowboy
Nat Love traveled to Dodge City, Kansas. There, he found work as a cowboy with cattle drivers from the Duval Ranch. This ranch was located near the Palo Duro River in Texas.
Nat wrote in his book that he fought against cattle rustlers (people who stole cattle). He also faced very bad weather. He taught himself to be an excellent marksman (someone very good with a gun) and a skilled cowboy. His co-workers gave him the nickname "Red River Dick" because of his skills.
In 1872, Nat Love moved to Arizona. He found work at the Gallinger Ranch near the Gila River. He wrote that he met famous people like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid while working on cattle drives there.
Becoming "Deadwood Dick"
In 1876, Nat Love drove a herd of cattle to Deadwood, in the Dakota Territory. There was a rodeo on July 4th, and Nat wanted to win the $200 prize money.
He entered the rodeo and won many contests. He won the rope, throw, tie, bridle, saddle, and bronco riding events. After this rodeo, he said his friends and fans gave him the nickname "Deadwood Dick." This name came from a popular character in adventure stories written by Edward Lytton Wheeler.
Captured and Escaped
Mounted on my horse my ... lariat near my hand, and my trusty guns in my belt ... I felt like I could defy the world.
Nat Love wrote that in October 1877, he was captured by a group of Pima Indians. This happened while he was gathering lost cattle near the Gila River in Arizona.
He claimed he was shot many times during his cowboy career. He said he got several injuries while fighting the Native Americans before they captured him. However, Nat wrote that his life was saved because the Indians respected his background. He said a large part of their group also had mixed heritage. The Native Americans helped him get better and wanted him to join their tribe. Eventually, Nat wrote that he stole a pony and escaped to West Texas.
Life After Being a Cowboy
Nat Love decided it was time to leave the cowboy life. In 1889, he married a woman named Alice. They settled down, first in Denver. In 1890, he started a new job as a Pullman porter. A Pullman porter was someone who worked on passenger trains, helping people in the sleeping cars. He worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.
While working for the railroad, Nat and his family lived in several western states. They eventually moved to southern California.
In 1907, Nat Love published his own story. The book was called Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as 'Deadwood Dick,' by Himself. This book helped make his legend even bigger. Later in his life, Nat worked as a messenger and guard for a security company in Los Angeles. He passed away there in 1921, when he was 67 years old.
Nat Love in Popular Culture
Nat Love's exciting life has inspired many stories in books, comics, and movies.
Books and Stories
- Author Joe R. Lansdale has written several stories featuring Nat Love. These include the novellas Nine Hide and Horns (2009) and Soldierin (2010), and the books Black Hat Jack (2014) and Paradise Sky (2015).
Comic Books
- In 2012, a graphic novel (a comic book that tells a long story) about Nat Love was published. It was called Best Shot in the West. Patricia and Fredrick McKissack wrote the story, and Randy DuBurke did the drawings.
- In 2018, an Italian publisher, Sergio Bonelli Editore, made a comic series called Deadwood Dick. It was based on Lansdale's stories.
- In 2022, the Denver Art Museum showed a comic book called Nat Love, A Cowboy's Life. This comic was an adaptation of his autobiography, written and drawn by R. Alan Brooks.
Movies and TV
- In the TV movie, The Cherokee Kid (1996), Nat Love was played by Ernie Hudson.
- In the movie They Die by Dawn (2013), Michael K. Williams played Nat Love.
- Jonathan Majors played Nat Love in the Netflix movie, The Harder They Fall.
See also
In Spanish: Nat Love para niños
