In Oklahoma history, one of the first of the deputies in Indian Territory was a former slave from Texas named Bass Reeves.
Bass Reeves, Legendary Lawman
One of the first black Deputy U.S. Marshals west of the Mississippi River, Bass Reeves was commissioned in 1875 and worked thirty-two years as a marshal. By statehood in 1907, Reeves was said to be the "most feared deputy U.S. marshal to work the Indian Territory."
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