Nat Love

Nat Love, 1876

Nat Love loved adventure. It was a way of life for the man who had been born into enslavement in the 1850s and ventured off on his own as a teenager to become a cowboy, herding cattle and winning rodeo competitions. But on October 4, 1876, a bright, clear day on the frontier, Nat found himself facing more adventure than he had ever bargained for.

"All at once I heard the well known Indian war whoop and noticed not far away a large party of Indians making straight for me. They were all well mounted and they were in full war paint, which showed me that they were on the war path, and as I was alone and had no wish to be scalped by them I decided to run for it."

Nat rode his horse as quickly as he could, but the group caught up to him. With steely resolve, he fought back, shooting some of the men. Then he was shot and ran out of ammunition. Still, though wounded and out of bullets, Nat's determination surged. He refused to surrender, grappling fiercely with his assailants as they closed in.