The True Story Of James Butler Hickok (aka “Wild Bill”)

If there was one person who’s life and exploits personify the old west, that person would be James Butler (Wild Bill) Hickok. While not all the tales of Wild Bill’s exploits are true, a very big percentage of them are. To put it in a nutshell, Wild Bill was one cool guy and unless you had a death wish, you wouldn’t want to face him in a gunfight.

Wild Bill was the virtual embodiment of the old west and the pioneer spirit. He wore many hats in life, he was a soldier, a scout, a lawman and a gambler and truth be told, Wild Bill’s formidable reputation was very well deserved.

“Wild Bill” Hickok, one of the greatest gunfighters of the American West, was murdered in Deadwood, South Dakota. Born in Illinois in 1837, James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok first gained notoriety as a gunfighter in 1861 when he coolly shot three men who were trying to kill him.

During the Civil War, Wild Bill Hickok served in the Union Army as a civilian scout and later a provost marshal. Though no solid record exists, he is believed to have served as a Union spy in the Confederate Army before his discharge in 1865.

Bestselling author Tom Clavin has sifted through years of western lore to bring Hickock fully to life in this rip-roaring, spellbinding true story. The definitive true story of Wild Bill, the first lawman of the Wild West, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dodge City.

I could go on, but I know alot of you don’t have several hours to sit in front of your computer. So, what I’ll do is refer you to the video below and let you watch that. I feel it is the best abridged version of Wild Bill’s life and exploits.