Myths surround these two Wild West legends synonymous with the town of Deadwood. Although Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane spent only a few weeks in Deadwood at the same time, their fame and fate have become intertwined and their relationship legendary. James D. McLaird examines the contemporary accounts that turned these two Wild West wanderers into dime-novel and motion-picture stars. Contemporary novelists and journalists created an astonishingly strong legacy for both Calamity Jane and Wild Bill, accounting for much of their notoriety. Gun fights, scouting missions, and daring escapes from enemies filled stories about the dashing pair; even their day-to-day existence seems to have been fraught with danger and excitement, teetering on the brink between lawful and unlawful. McLaird traces the role that writers and the city of Deadwood itself played in the creation of the legacies of the famous couple. Fact and fiction have become so intertwined that a definitive picture of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill is almost impossible. Their brief friendship and subsequent burial next to each other in Mount Moriah Cemetery simply added to their legendary status and made them stalwarts of Wild West pop culture and Deadwood mythology. Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends is the second book in the South Dakota Biography Series.

Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends (South Dakota Biography Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

James D. McLaird

Historical

South Dakota Historical Society

The most famous grizzly-bear attack in the history of the American West took place in 1823 and left Glass struggling for life. Setting out on a journey of revenge and forgiveness, he eventually crawled 200 miles across the plains back to civilization. The story of Hugh Glass has provided fertile ground for articles, books and film, but the real man remains much of a mystery. 
McLaird, a historian, traces the few existing threads of Glass s life and delves into the role of popular history in making a legend. He also looks at the grizzly bear itself, examining popular sentiments towards the creature that led to its near-extinction. 
Had it not been for a chance encounter with a grizzly bear along the Grand River in what is now northwestern South Dakota, says McLaird, Hugh Glass would barely warrant a passing note in fur-trade history. That fact made researching him a challenge. 
Hugh Glass: Grizzly Survivor is the latest addition to the South Dakota Biography Series published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press.

Hugh Glass: Grizzly Survivor

South Dakota Historical Society Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by James D. McLaird. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by James D. McLaird

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by James D. McLaird. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends (South Dakota Biography Series)

Hugh Glass: Grizzly Survivor