Rest in peace, Wild Bill Hickok. Born to abolitionist parents in Illinois (he later fought with the Jayhawkers in Kansas Territory), little James Hickok was tall and reedy (one nickname was Shanghai Bill), had a long nose and lips (another nickname was Duck Bill), and was a confirmed redhead, to boot. Skirting on both sides of the law, his duel with Davis Tutt over a watch (and the affections of various affectionate women) in 1865 is the first recorded quick-draw duel in the Wild Wild West (Hickok was tried for murder and acquitted), but he worked as a marshal and sheriff throughout much of the West before entering that fateful poker game at Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon in Deadwood and being dealt that pair of aces and pair of eights--which incident occurred on this date in 1876 when Hickok was 39.
Stamp details:
Stamp on left:
Issued on: October 18, 1994
From: Laramie, WY; Tucson, AZ; Lawton, OK
SC #2869o