James Butler Wild Bill Hickok timeline

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok Born

Frontiersman, lawman, army scout, gambler, and legendary marksman James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was born on May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove,... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Meets William 'Buffalo Bill' Cody

In 1855, at the age of 18, Hickok moved to Kansas Territory following a fight with Charles Hudson, which resulted in both falling into a canal.... Read more

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok Joins the Pony Express

Rock Creek Station was known as a "road ranch" to early western travelers, and when the Pony Express started in 1860, it was a logical site for a... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Joins the Union Army

When the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Hickok signed on as a teamster for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri, and by the end of the year he... Read more

McCanles Incident

In 1861 he ['Wild Bill' Hickok] was involved in a deadly shootout with the McCanles Gang at the Rock Creek Station after 40-year-old David... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Kills Davis Tutt, Jr. In First Recorded Quick Draw Gunfight

Hickok's reputation as a gunfighter began when he killed David Tutt in the public square of Springfield on 21st July, 1865. The two men had... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok is Elected Sheriff of Ellis County, Kansas

In July 1869, Hickok was back in Hays and was elected sheriff and city marshal of Ellis County, Kansas, in a special election, on August 23, 1869.... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Kills a 7th Cavalry Soldier in Gunfight at Paddy Welch's Bar

Unemployed, Hickok passed his time gambling, drinking, and occasionally working as a hunting guide. He quickly became bored and was considering... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Kills Two Men During a Street Brawl

While working in Abilene, Hickok and Phil Coe, a saloon owner, had an ongoing dispute that later resulted in a shootout. Coe had been the business... Read more

Buffalo Bill Makes Stage Debut in 'The Scouts of the Prairie'

In December 1872 Cody traveled to Chicago to make his stage debut with friend Texas Jack Omohundro in The Scouts of the Prairie, one of the... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Meets 'Calamity Jane' Cannary

In 1876, Calamity Jane settled in the area of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the Black Hills. There, she became friends with, and was occasionally... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Marries Agnes Thatcher Lake

Wild Bill of western fame has conquered numerous Indians, outlaws, bears and buffaloes, but a charming widow has stolen the magic wand. The scepter... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Arrives in Deadwood, South Dakota

The arrival of Hickok in wide-open early Deadwood was viewed with a mix of curiosity and distrust by those already there. What was the “famous”... Read more

James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok is Shot by Jack McCall During a Poker Game

On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory. On this fateful day... Read more

Jack McCall is Hung for the Murder of James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok

As I write the closing lines of this brief sketch, word reaches me that the slayer of Wild Bill has been re-arrested by the United State... Read more