Seth Bullock: Black Hills Lawman (South Dakota Biography)

Repost of an earlier review accidentally deleted:

A fascinating book about a minor character of American history....[T]his book was my first (and only) introduction to Seth Bullock, and for that purpose it serves admirably.

Wolff has evidently done an immense amount of research; the notes are thirty pages of the two hundred page book, and the bibliography is another eight, and i have no fault to find with his scholarship. In fact, i'm not certain, at this point, that i find fault at all with the book, save perhaps, that the latter years of Bullock's life seem rather skimmed over, when compared with the detail given on the earlier, pre-Roosevelt shall we say, ones..... Still, this is a minor complaint in a good book, and one i really didn't intend to focus upon.

The main point, as far as i am concerned, is that i have read a fascinating book about a man i never knew existed, about a time of history i really didn't (and don't) know very well, other than the basic “cowboys and indians” ideas that one obtains by osmosis from childhood, and now i have a slightly better feeling for the people of the Wild West.... And that realisation of the reality of history is, in my opinion, sufficient justification for any history book to be called a success.

Complete review at http://rhydypennau.blogspot.com/2009/07/early-review.html ( )

By their nature, historic figures tend to be locked on particular periods in their lives. If they also happen to become a key character on television or in film, it is fairly certain they will be forever stereotyped by that portrayal. For many, Seth Bullock has become the handsome, somewhat idealistic and good-hearted sheriff from the HBO series Deadwood. Yet like all human beings, historic figures are always far more or much less than our image of them. With his concise biography, Seth Bullock: Black Hills Lawman, David A. Wolff shows that there was a great deal more to Bullock than commonly believed.

Indicative of how narrow the perspective of historic figures can be, Bullock served as sheriff for less than 10 months. The rest of his life was spent in pursuit of other activities that Wolff methodically casts into three stages.

Although the first period includes Bullock's time as sheriff, Wolff terms it a period as 'pioneer and politician.' Bullock was a sheriff and legislator in Montana before embarking for the northern Black Hils of what would become South Dakota during the area's gold rush in the summer of 1876. Yet indicative of his future activity, Bullock was not a wide-eyed gold prospector but, with his partner Solomon Star, headed to Deadwood, then little more than a mining camp, to open a hardware store with a fireproof storage facility. It was a business venture that would last nearly 25 years.

Just 11 days after arriving, Bullock was elected to the nascent community's first attempt at self-government and was appointed sheriff when county governments were created the following year. By that time, the town had a population of probably less than 5,000 but about 60 saloons. Although Bullock focused on bigger issues than disorderly miners, he was ousted in an election later that year. Bullock remained active in and a booster of the community, such as promoting the creation of a fire department. Promotion, even speculation, would mark the next phase of Bullock's life, a stage which, ironically, would find destructive fires affecting both its beginning and end. And while his role as sheriff might define him to the public years later, he did not become an Old West legend like other Deadwood personalities such as Wild Bill Hickok. That's because, Wolff writes, 'Bullock's story did not contain the requisite amount of bloodshed.'

Bullock spent much of the 1880s and 1890s pursuing business interests while at the same time seeking to help their survival by promoting economic development and trying to gain railroad access for the Black Hills. His investments were varied and included mining, ranching and even breeding horses for harness racing. At one point in 1886, he was president of no less than 13 newly formed mining companies. According to Wolff, Bullock tended more towards being an idea man, often leaving the day-to-day work to others. Between that and the somewhat speculative nature of many of the efforts in which he was involved and invested, Bullock's personal economic well-being was quite sensitive to the vagaries of the local and national economy. Even though this phase of Bullock's life doesn't have and can't be described with the excitement or imagery of the rowdy mining town of lore, Wolff details not only the variety oif Bullock's ideas and investments but the boom and bust cycles he faced.

As the nineteenth century drew to a close, Bullock's level of investment and boosterism declined. His spirits were re-enaged by the Spanish-American War, an event that would contribute to public service becoming the final predominant theme of his life. Bullock headed up a cavalry troop made up of volunteers from the Black Hills. While the troop never left the U.S., Bullock gained some attention in the national media as Deadwood's Old West sheriff. Equally important, the service strengthened Bullock's ties with Teddy Roosevelt, who he had met in the early 1890s. Back in the Black Hills after the war, in 1901 Bullock was appointed superintendent of the Black Hills Forest Reserve.

In his introduction to the book, Wolff, a professor of history at Black Hills State University, suggests Bullock 'was the most important person in the Black Hills in his lifetime.' If so, perhaps the widest impact stems from being forest supervisor and pushing for and implementing multiple use of the forest. This approach would help bring a balance between economic development and preservation of the resources that were the foundation of that development. There is less detail in this portion of the book, which may well stem from the fact that the source material likely is not lively, contemporaneous frontier newspaper accounts and public records but official documents of a government bureaucracy. Bullock would ultimately return to law enforcement, though, serving as South Dakota's U.S. Marshall from 1906 to 1914.

When Bullock died in Deadwood in 1919, both the town and the region were far different from the Old West image that town carries to this day. That change reinforces the subtitle in the sense that Bullock was one of the guiding forces in converting the lawlessness of the mining camps into the type of order necessary to create viable communities. In so doing, Wolff makes it clear that viewing Bullock only through the prism of a frontier town sheriff is to do him and history a disservice.

(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie)

The description of this book seemed to assume that the reader had heard of Seth Bullock, which I never had. As far as history books go, this one wasn't too bad. He was an interesting guy, and the book was well written, but I still found it a little boring.

This is history of Seth Bullock. The book is well written, though clearly intended to inform it maintains a engaging tone. Though not the best history book I've ever read it is well written and well cited. ( )

Seth Bullock was very much a public figure, as the sections of this biography indicate: "Pioneer Lawman and Politician, 1847 - 1879", "Promoter, Speculator and Developer, 1879 - 1895", and Public Servant, 1895 - 1919." The book begins with the story of Bullock's journey to the gold fields of the Black Hills in 1876, less than two weeks after Colonel George Custer's command was wiped out at Little Big Horn. After this promising start, the author jumps back and forth in time in a confusing manner for the rest of chapter one. The remainder of the book proceeds chronologically, only jumping from facet to facet of Bullock's life. Plenty of interesting events are related: stage holdups, disputed elections, floods and fires that nearly destroyed the town of Deadwood that Bullock helped to found, but the style is quite academic. I found it hard to read more than a little at a time. One of the most interesting parts of the story is Bullock's friendship with Theodore Roosevelt. I wish this biography had included more information about his family and home life, but it does a thorough job of covering the public aspects of Seth Bullock's life.

LibraryThing Early Reviewer Book.

This book was an excellent source of research material. The writing was concise, though font was a little small. The picture on the front was appropriate. Seth Bullock was not meant for the reader that likes the subject to be romanticized. Students and historians will appreciate the nuances of this work. Wether due to lack of research materials available or writer preference, there isn't too much about Mr. Bullock's personal life. You see once again how history can be twisted because of media, (newspapers). Oral stories abound and are changed; Mr. Wolff mentioned this a few times in his work. If you like history or are doing a research project it is well worth the read, but if you like your history a little vanilla it is not for the faint of heart. ( )

This book was fairly interesting; however, as a biography, I found it lacked something. Yes, we get a good overview of all the work Seth Bullock (and others) did to promote the city of Deadwood, and all his business and political ventures, but we learned very little of his personal life and next to nothing of his relationship with his family. The couple of paragraphs about his wife and children were less than illuminating. I would have found this book much more interesting if more of Seth Bullock's "home" personality had come through. It reads more as a list of lifetime deeds and accomplishments rather than a biography. ( )

A fascinating and readable biography. Having only come across Seth Bullock in the "Deadwood" TV series I found that this book brought to life the real person behind the legend. The book is well referenced allowing those who wish to cross check the facts. An index would be a useful addition. ( )

The book is, obviously, about Seth Bullock but because of his involvement in the town, by necessity, it becomes not only a biography of Bullock but also of Deadwood itself. Bullock may have been a lawman but he had many other positions in town too and was also an entrepreneur who had his hand in many business deals. Making sure that Deadwood survived was very important to Bullock and Wolff outlines his involvement in trying to organize and start what the town would need. You are told about mining, and trying to attract businesses and railroads, and start banks, and organize a government and all the many other struggles and obstacles the town needed to overcome to survive and grow. The book revolves around Bullock and his involvement in many of these things but it does broaden to a wider scope in that it shows the birth and growing pains of the town and its surrounding environs and all the other people who helped along the way. I didn’t know much about Seth Bullock when I started the book and it was very interesting to learn how involved he was in the workings of Deadwood and to see how farsighted and far-reaching his business ideas were. I also liked the close look at all that it takes to start a frontier town and keep it going, all the hard work and effort and not just the gunfights and glory. But I have to admit that there came a point when I had heard more about processing ore than I really cared to. Wolff researched his subject well as you can tell from the copious notes and long bibliography. The writing was easy to read and understand but definitely academic in style and reads more like a text book than a story. It is full of interesting information and nitty-gritty details and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Seth Bullock or the old west in general. ( )

The Deadwood that comes to life in David Wolff's biography of Seth Bullock is the maturing community that one would expect to arise after the hype of wild west shootouts, gunslinging, and stage robberies finally dies down. Which is not to say that those are lacking, but while Bullock started off as a lawman and ended as one, the entrepreneurialism and business enterprises that characterized the greater part of his life are really the focus of this biography.

Bullock is the prototypical big-picture person, who saw great things in his own future and his life reflected his attempts. Not always with success, but it is clear that Bullock's leadership, and willingness to lead, were a major part of his impact on South Dakota.

Wolff, a history professor at Black Hills State University, acknowledges that this relatively short biography is an overview of Bullock's life. It is fascinating to see Deadwood's struggles to become a site for investment and new business, the ups and downs of mining, and the political activity of a western town. His political connections and friendship with Theodore Roosevelt are interesting due to their subsequent impact on Bullock as a Rough Rider and his contributions to land management.

The writing is a bit academic, but it's clear and easy to read. Wolff's sources are extensive, and with a bibliography supplementing the footnotes, are a treasure trove for anyone who wants to dig further into Bullock's life.

This is an excellent addition to any Western history collection, whether personal or library. It's a quick introduction to a variety of aspects of Bullock's, and South Dakotan, development. ( )

Part of the South Dakota Biography series, extensive notes, bibliography and index make this a must read for anyone interested in the history of Deadwood. As a student or traveler to South Dakota, Seth Bullock by David A. Wolff and Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane by James D. McLaird are not to be missed. The recent popularity of the HBO series Deadwood brings added interest to the history of South Dakota during the Gold Rush period.
Seth Bullock was already in his late twenties when he went to Deadwood with Sol Star to open Star and Bullock Hardware. Seth Bullock’s many accomplishments during his lifetime include: first sheriff appointed by Governor Pennington to bring order to Deadwood; the first Black Hills Reserve forest supervisor; and Bullock as U.S. Marshal for South Dakota appointed by President Teddy Roosevelt. Seth Bullock died, September 23, 1919 in Deadwood at the age of 73 and is buried next to his wife, Martha, in the cemetery above Deadwood. ( )

Although I'm British and my knowledge of American history is rather sketchy and I had certainly never heard of Seth Bullock, I enjoyed this book. It gave me an insight into aspects of western life which I hadn't picked up on from previous reading, such as the politics. Seth Bullock was very involved in the financial, political and law enforcement aspects of life in early Deadwood, and this book shows us how he moved from one sphere of influence to another throughout his life.

I found the writing style easy to read and the amount of detail at about the right level for me.