[2002-02-12] THE MISSING TRUTH by Pam North The American West - it's a period of history that is filled with cowhands, explorers, cavalrymen, fur trappers, lawmen, cooks, scouts and homesteaders. These are the characters who come to life in novels, textbooks and films, and usually one characteristic is evident: they are white. Forgotten or obscured in this slice of Americana is the fact that a great many of those who contributed to shaping the frontier, and subsequently our democracy, were black. They were there from the beginning. Black men sailed with Columbus, and they accompanied many of the expeditions that charted the unexplored regions of this nation. Familiar in history is the Shoshone woman Sacajawea in Lewis and Clark's 2 1/2-year exploration of the Louisiana Territory, yet few have heard of Clark's slave, York, who assisted her as interpreter, and who was skillful in establishing friendly ties with the Indians. James Beckwourth was one of the best black Indian fighters of his generation, but while his contemporaries - Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett - achieved prominence, Beckwourth remained unmentioned in the history pages. The cattle industry would have been severely handicapped without the presence and services of the 8,000 to 9,000 black men (about one-quarter of the total number of 35,000 cattle drivers) who, after the Civil War, helped move and tend the herds. Black men were uniquely suited to cattle ranching; they possessed innate skills, learned in their native Africa, in managing and controlling large herds. These abilities, when later coupled with the riding and roping talents learned from the Mexican vaqueros, made them some of the best cowhands in the West. The black cowhand's life was one of loneliness, tedium and hard work, yet one in which he could find a higher degree of safety, dignity and equality than what would be experienced as a Southern sharecropper subjected to the emergence of Jim Crow laws after the Civil War. Cowhands all ate the same food, slept on the same ground, worked at the same jobs and were faced with the same dangers. Whites and blacks could live and work together more harmoniously in cattle country than anywhere else in that time. Many black cowboys became well-known: Bose Ikard rode on the Goodnight Trail, as did Jim Fowler; Jim Perry and Newt Clendenen worked on the XIT Ranch; Addison Jones was a range boss; Bill Pickett invented bulldogging on his horse, Spradley; Bronco Sam was reportedly not afraid of anything; Charley Willis was known as "The Singing Cowboy;" Jesse Stahl once rode a bronco backwards with a suitcase held in his hand; John Ware was a highly respected rancher; Nat Love supposedly won the title of "Deadwood Dick" in an 1876 roping contest; "One Horse Charlie" rode with the Shoshone Indians. A black woman, Mary Fields, ran a stage coach and mail route. The 9th and 10th Cavalries, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, explored and mapped vast areas of the southwest, and strung hundreds of miles of telegraph wire. Cities and towns evolved from the forts built and repaired by these black regiments, and their protection from outlaws and hostile Indians ensured the success of the expanding railroad system. They faced up to some of the worst assignments handed out by the Army, overcame prejudice and became two of the most distinguished fighting units in the Army. The West became a refuge where black people could have a better chance to pursue their dreams. While prejudice could never be totally escaped, equality was a little closer in the frontier. The African-American experience in the West has been largely ignored. These valuable black people have been overlooked in history accounts. Their deliberate exclusion was a result of the unfortunate attitude on the part of many whites that certain ethnic groups were unworthy of any mention. February is Black History Month, an excellent time to learn about the major roles black people played in the settling of the West. It's time to recognize them for their courage and versatility, and for their importance. Resource: The Black West, by William Loren Katz Photos for article made be found at: http://www.buffalosoldier.net/ http:www.geocities.com/cott1388/black-cowboy.html