Taylor Sheridan’s Lawmen: Bass Reeves Has an Epic True Story Behind It

Yellowstone has become an unstoppable franchise. But in addition to Taylor Sheridan’s modern-day Western, there’s other notable programming within the actor and screenwriter’s portfolio, including Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King. And in sticking with his Western-centric focus, Sheridan is producing a new show, Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

Starring David Oyelowo, the series will follow Reeves, a Deputy U.S. Marshal, as he captures fugitives and patrols along his jurisdiction in the 19th century Western United States. With such a fascinating set up, there’s sure to be action and drama akin to any of Sheridan’s other properties. Especially since it’s not just fiction: Bass Reeves really did exist.

According to an interview with Country Living, showrunner Chad Feehan says that Oyelowo has worked for years to get Reeves’ on screen. “Taylor Sheridan recommended me to David Oyelowo, who has been trying to tell this story for 8 years. I sat down with David at dinner and he explained to me all the things that I didn’t know, and explained to me where the myth both converged with and separated from reality. I immediately got hooked about Bass Reeves, and was determined to support David in any way that I could in honoring his legacy,” Feehan says.

While the show could deviate from some of Reeves’ real life (there is a bit of myth around the legendary man), there’s more than enough information about his real life for a gripping show. Here’s what we know about the real Bass Reeves.

Was Bass Reeves a real person?

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Yes, and he really was a famed U.S. Marshal.

Born in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas, Reeves grew up enslaved in Northeast Texas to Colonel George R. Reeves, as the Oklahoma Historical Society reports. When he became an adult, Reeves escaped into Native American territory and befriended members of various tribes while evading capture. He was finally a freed man when the Emancipation Proclamation passed in 1863.

What is Bass Reeves famous for?

Reeves settled in Arkansas as a farmer, and on occasion would serve as a scout and tracker for law enforcement due to his expert knowledge of the area. When a new judge took over Fort Smith federal court, he appointed Reeves to the position of U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1875. He was one of the first African Americans to take on the title.

In his 32-year career, Reeves apprehended thousands of fugitives, even taking on a job to apprehend his own son, who had an arrest warrant for murder. While patrolling the west, Reeves traversed the 75,000 miles of his jurisdiction with a cook, a wagon, and at least one posseman.

David Oyelowo and Shea Whigham in Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Paramount

Newspapers covered Reeves extensively over the course of his career. In 1909, the Muskogee Times Democrat wrote that “in the early days when the Indian country was overridden with outlaws, Reeves would herd into Fort Smith, often single handed, bands of men charged with crimes from bootlegging to murder. He was paid fees in those days that sometimes amounted to thousands of dollars for a single trip, trips that sometimes lasted for months.”

Reeves was also known for his expert disguise and subterfuge to capture people. According to a blog post by Fort Worth’s tourist site, Reeves once pretended to be vagrant so as to be invited into a woman’s home. When her sons, the fugitives, arrived, they talked to him and then went to sleep. Reeves then surprised them when he slapped handcuffs on them and arrested the pair.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves will no doubt show the quick-thinking and skill of the real life legend, but now you have a primer for the very real person Oyelowo is set to play.

Milan Polk

Milan Polk is an Editorial Assistant for Men’s Health who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle reporting, and has worked for New York Magazine’s Vulture and Chicago Tribune.

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