"Nat "Deadwood Dick" Love" (1854-1921)

Prounce Nate Love,was an African American cowboy following American Civil War.In

1907,Nat wrote his autobiography "Life and Adventures of Nat Love." in his autobiography,Nat Love explains that his father was a slave foreman in the fields,and his mother managed the kitchen.He also had and older brother Jordan and sister Sally.Nat was born a slave on the plantation of Robert Love in Davidson County,Tennessee,in 1854.Despite slavery era statues that outlawed black literacy he learned to read and write as a child with the help of his father,Sampson Love.When slavery ended,Sampson attempted to start a family farm to raise tobacco and corn,but he died shortly after the second crop was planted.Nat then took a second job working on a local farm to help make ends meet.After a few years of working odd jobs,he won a horse in a raffle.He sold the horse for one hundred dollars and gave half to his mother,and he used the other half to leave town.He went west to Dodge City,Kansas,to find work as a cowboy.In Dodge City,he joined the cowboys from the Duval Ranch which was stationed in Texas.Because of his excellent horse riding skills,the Duval Ranch cowboys gave nat the nickname "Red River Dick."Once he joined the Duval cowboys he left Dodge City and returned with them to the home ranch in the Texas Panhandle.Nat Love's autobiography tells of many adventures fighting against cattle rustlers and inclement weather.His many yeras of experience made him an expert marksman and cowboy.He entered a rodeo in Deadwood,South  Dakota on the 4th of July in 1876.He won the rope throw,tie,bridle,and bronco riding contest.It was at this contest that the fans gave him the nickname "Deadwood Dick."In October 1877,he was captured by a band of Akimel O' odham(Pima) while rounding up stray cattle near the Gila River in Arizona.He reported that his life fighting ability.A while after being captured He stole a pony and managed to escape into west texas.He continued to work as cowboy in the southwest for another 15 years before he began to settle down and got married in 1889.The next year he took in Denver, Colorodo as a Pullman porter on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.He worked on the routes west of Denver and moved his family several times to Wyoming,Utah,and Nevada before moving settling down in southern California.