Doing a little background research on Nat Love, I learned that he was a well-known cowboy an had the nickname of “Deadwood Dick” although he apparently was not the only one with that nickname.   His autobiography is available in its entirety through UNC’s Documenting the American South collection. Nat was born here in Davidson County in 1854, son of slave Sampson Love.  He and his family were slaves of Robert Love.  Nat has an entry at FindAGrave; I would love to find an obituary for him though – he died in 1921.

PREFACE

Having passed the half century mark in life’s journey, and yielding to persistent requests of many old and valued friends of the past and present, I have decided to write the record of slave, cow-boy and pullman porter will prove of interest to the reading public generally and particularly to those who prefer facts to fiction, (and in this case again facts will prove stranger than fiction). I assure my readers that every event chronicled in this history is based on facts, and my personal experiences, of more than fifty years of an unusually adventurous life.

While many things contained in this record happened many years ago, they are as fresh in my memory as if they happened but yesterday. I have tried to record events simply as they are, without attempting to varnish over the bad spots or draw on my imagination to fill out a chapter at the cost of the truth. It has been my aim to record things just as they happened, believing they will prove of greater interest thereby; and if I am able to add to the interest and enjoyment of a single reader I will consider myself well repaid for the time and labor of preparing this history.

To my playmates of my boyhood, who may chance to read this I send greetings and wish them well. To the few friends, who assisted myself and widowed mother in our early struggles, I tender my sincerest thanks, and hope they have prospered as they deserve. For those who proved our enemies, I have no word of censure. They have reaped their reward.

To that noble but ever decreasing band of men under whose blue and buckskin shirts there lives a soul as great and beats a heart as true as ever human breast contained–to the cow-boys, rangers, scouts, hunters and trappers and cattle-men of the “GREAT WESTERN PLAINS,” I extend the hand of greeting acknowledging the FATHER-HOOD of GOD and the BROTHERHOOD of men; and to my mother’s Sainted name, this book is reverently dedicated.

THE AUTHOR.

Nate Love, also know as Deadwood Dick, was born a slave in Tennessee.  He he had a love of the free and wild life on the range. Soon he was known as a good all around cowboy.

Nate found a Texas outfit that had delivered its herd and was preparing to go back down to Texas.  There were several good black cowboys in the outfit.  After sharing breakfast with the crew, Nate asked the trail boss for a job. The boss agreed if Nate could break a horse named Good Eye, the wildest horse in the outfit.  Bronco Jim, another black cowboy gave Nate some pointers and Nate rode that horse. He said later that it was the toughest ride he had ever had.

The work was very hard.  Nate rode through hailstorms so violent that only strong men could withstand them. The first time he met hostile Indians, he admitted he was too scared to run. After going through a number of such trials he adjusted to the ways of the cattle country and could handle any problem,

Mounted on my favorite horse, my … lariat near my hand, and my trusty guns in my belt … I felt I could defy the world.

— Nat Love in The Life and Adventures of Nat Love, 1907

Born on June 14, 1854 as a slave on Robert Love’s plantation in Davidson County Tennessee, Nat (pronounced Nate) Love would grow up to be one of the most famous cowboys in the Old West .

The Life and Adventures of Nat Love
Better Known in the Cattle Country as “Deadwood Dick” by Himself;
a True History of Slavery Days,
Life on the Great Cattle Ranges and on the Plains
of the “Wild and Woolly” West, Based on Facts,
and Personal Experiences of the Author:
Electronic Edition.

Love, Nat, 1854 – 1921

Funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities
supported the electronic publication of this title.

© This work is the property of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text.

Source Description:
(title page) The Life and Adventures of Nat Love Better Known in the Cattle Country as “Deadwood Dick” by Himself; a True History of Slavery Days, Life on the Great Cattle Ranges and on the Plains of the “Wild and Woolly” West, Based on Facts, and Personal Experiences of the Author.
(cover) The Life and Adventures of Nat Love Better Known in the Cattle Country as Deadwood Dick by Himself
(spine) Life and Adventures of Dead Wood Dick
Nat Love
162 p., ill.
Los Angeles California
1907

Call number Duke 326.93 L897L (Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University Libraries)

Library of Congress Subject Headings, 21st edition, 1998

Languages Used:

• English

LC Subject Headings:

• Love, Nat, 1854-1921.
• African Americans — Tennessee — Biography.
• Slaves — Tennessee — Biography.
• Plantation life — Tennessee — History — 19th century.
• Slavery — Tennessee — History — 19th century.
• African American cowboys — West (U.S.) — Biography.
• Cowboys — West (U.S.) — Biography.
• West (U.S.) — Biography.

• 2000-04-13,
  Celine Noel and Wanda Gunther
  revised TEIHeader and created catalog record for the electronic edition.
• 1999-11-30,
  Natalia Smith, project manager,
  finished TEI-conformant encoding and final proofing.
• 1999-11-19,
  Lee Ann Morawski
  finished TEI/SGML encoding
• 1999-11-09,
  Katherine Anderson and Tom Horan
  finished scanning (OCR) and proofing.

Nat Love

Love was born a slave in Davidson County, Tennessee, in 1854. Despite slavery era statutes that outlawed black literacy he learned to read and write as a child with the help of his father. He later went west to Dodge City, Kansas, and became a cowboy. He entered a rodeo on the 4th of July in 1876. He won the rope, throw, tie, bridle, saddle and bronco riding contests. His fans called him by the nickname “Deadwood Dick.”^[1]

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. Love reported that his life was spared because the Indians respected his fighting ability. Awhile after being captured, Love stole a pony and managed to escape into West Texas.