One In Four Cowboys Was Black

" Let's Go For A Horse Ride Boys"....😃

One in four cowboys was Black, but African American cowboys are rarely seen in pop culture.

The image of the Wild West cowboy is one of America's seminal pieces of lore. In movies and books, we learn about the trailblazing, horse-back riding legends of the great Western plains. But in nearly every depiction, those cowboys are white.

In reality, historians estimate that one in four American cowboys were black.

Black cowboys have a rich, complicated history in the US and remain an important part of American culture to date. 

The cowboy lifestyle first came into play in Texas, when American settlers would invade the then Mexican owned-territory in the early 1800s. Americans moving into the territory brought enslaved people with them and began setting up plantations. By 1860, after Texas became a part of the Union, an estimated 30 percent of the population was Black.

Following the abolition of slavery, many of those people became in-demand as cowhands. 

When Texas joined the Confederacy, many slaveowners went off to fight in the Civil War, leaving the people they owned to tend the cattle. But when the war ended, freed people found themselves in high demand for positions as cowhands to ranchers across the south.

It's also believed that the idea of the "Lone Ranger" was inspired by a Black man named Bass Reeves. Born in slavery, Reeves escaped his position of servitude and eventually became a US Deputy Marshal, known for his excellent skills as a marksman, and for riding a silver horse.

Culled: Insider, Image Credit: Wikipedia, Smithsonian Magazine.

Great Info!