Seth Bullock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seth Bullock
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| Born | July 23, 1849 Amherstburg, Province of Canada
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| Died | September 23, 1919 (aged 70) Deadwood, South Dakota, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mount Moriah Cemetery |
| Occupation | Lawman, frontiersman, store owner, horse breeder, hotel owner, investor |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
Seth Bullock was an important figure in the American West, known for being a lawman, businessman, and politician. He was born in Canada on July 23, 1849, and later became a U.S. Marshal. Seth Bullock lived in Deadwood, South Dakota, from 1876 until he passed away on September 23, 1919. In Deadwood, he owned a hardware store and later a famous hotel called the Bullock Hotel.
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Seth Bullock's Early Years
Many details about Seth Bullock's early life are not known. He was born in Amherstburg, Canada West (which is now Ontario). This town is located on the Canadian side of the Detroit River.
His father, George Bullock, was a retired British Army Sergeant Major. Seth's mother, Agnes Findley, was from Scotland.
When Seth was young, his family faced difficulties. His father had to leave his job as County Treasurer. To avoid problems in Canada, his father moved to Detroit, Michigan. This left Seth and his seven brothers and sisters to take care of themselves, as their mother had also passed away.
Seth Bullock's childhood was not easy. He left home for the first time at age 13. He ran away again at 16 to Montana to stay with his older sister, Jessie. By the time he was 18, he had left home for good.
Life in Helena, Montana
In 1867, Seth Bullock moved to Helena, Montana. He tried to become part of the Territorial Legislature but was not successful. However, he was later elected as a Republican to the Territorial Senate. He served there in 1871 and 1872. During this time, he helped create Yellowstone National Park, a very famous park today.
In 1873, he was elected as the sheriff of Lewis and Clark County, Montana. In August 1876, Bullock and his business partner, Sol Star, saw a chance to start a new business. They realized that the gold rush town of Deadwood needed a hardware store. They bought land in Deadwood and opened their shop, first in a tent and then in a building. They called their business "Office of Star and Bullock, Auctioneers and Commission Merchants."
Adventures in Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood was a wild and busy town during the gold rush. In February 1877, Lawrence County, which included Deadwood City, was officially formed. The governor at the time, Governor Pennington, chose Bullock to be the temporary County Sheriff. It's important to know that Bullock was never the sheriff or marshal just for Deadwood City itself, but for the whole county.
Bullock served as the appointed county sheriff for about nine months. He took his job very seriously. He chose several local people to help him as deputies. Together, they worked hard to bring law and order to the busy gold mining camp.
Once things in Deadwood became more stable, Bullock brought his wife, Martha Eccles Bullock, and their daughter, Margaret, to live with him. They had been staying with Martha's parents in Michigan. Later, Seth and Martha had two more children, a daughter named Florence and a son named Stanley.
In November 1877, the first official county elections were held. Bullock ran for sheriff as a Republican, but John J. Manning won the election. Manning became the first elected sheriff for Lawrence County. Bullock ran again in 1878 but lost to Manning once more.
Bullock and Star bought a ranch where Redwater Creek met the Belle Fourche River. They named it the S&B Ranch Company. Bullock is also known for bringing alfalfa farming to Dakota in 1881. Later, he became a deputy U.S. Marshal. He also partnered with Sol Star and Harris Franklin in the Deadwood Flouring Mill. They invested in mining, which was a growing industry in the area. Bullock and Star eventually expanded their businesses to other towns like Spearfish, Sturgis, and Custer.
Friendship with Theodore Roosevelt
In 1884, Bullock, who was then a deputy sheriff from Medora, North Dakota, met Theodore Roosevelt. They met while Bullock was catching a horse thief near what would become the town of Belle Fourche. The two became very good friends for life. Roosevelt once said that Seth Bullock was a "true Westerner, the finest type of frontiersman."
President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Bullock as a US Marshal in 1905. He was appointed again in 1909 by President William Howard Taft.
Building Belle Fourche and the Bullock Hotel
Bullock and Star helped the area grow even more. They convinced the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad to build train tracks through their land. They offered 40 acres of land for free. This was important because another person had bought the right-of-way to Minnesela and was asking for a very high price from the railroad.
Because of Bullock and Star, the railroad built a station three miles northwest of Minnesela in 1890. Bullock and Star were key in starting the town of Belle Fourche. They even offered free land to anyone who moved there from Minnesela. Belle Fourche became the biggest place for shipping livestock by train in the United States. The county seat was also moved from Minnesela to Belle Fourche.
In 1894, Bullock and Star's hardware store in Deadwood burned down. Instead of rebuilding the store, they decided to build Deadwood's first hotel on the same spot. It was a large, three-story luxury hotel with 63 rooms. The Bullock Hotel is still open today and now includes a casino.
Later Life and Legacy
Seth Bullock's friendship with Theodore Roosevelt led him to become a captain in Troop A of Grigsby's Cowboy Regiment. This was a group of volunteer cavalry soldiers that Congress approved in 1898. It was similar to Roosevelt's own Rough Riders, who fought in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Even though Troop A never left their training camp in Louisiana before the war ended, Bullock still earned the rank of captain.
When Roosevelt became vice president under President William McKinley, he appointed Bullock as the first forest supervisor of the Black Hills Reserve. After Roosevelt was elected president, Bullock organized 50 people, including the famous cowboy Tom Mix, to ride in Roosevelt's presidential parade in 1905. Bullock then served as the U.S. Marshal for South Dakota for the next nine years.
Roosevelt later chose Bullock as one of 18 officers to help create a volunteer army division for service in France in 1917. However, President Woodrow Wilson decided not to use these volunteers, and the unit was disbanded.
After Theodore Roosevelt passed away in January 1919, Bullock helped create a monument to his friend. With the help of the Black Hills Pioneers, the monument was dedicated on July 4, 1919, on Sheep Mountain, which was then renamed Mount Roosevelt.
Seth Bullock died shortly after, on September 23, 1919, from colon cancer at his home in Deadwood. He is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood. His grave faces Mount Roosevelt, a special tribute to his lifelong friendship with Theodore Roosevelt.
See also
In Spanish: Seth Bullock para niños
