In 1872 he was a scout for the army. He was sent to chase some Miniconjou Lakotas who had stolen some horses. Shots were fired; one Indian was killed. For his bravery he was awarded the Medal of Honor. His reputation was built on real experiences on the frontier and true heroism.

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Wild Bill had a fight in a saloon that ended with a 7th Cavalry soldier dead and another wounded. There are several versions of the story, but it is believed the soldier’s pistol misfired when put against Hickock’s head. He fired in self-defense, killing one and wounding another.

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Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals of the abundance of wild huckleberries as well as serviceberries and currents. Native Americans used various berries and their roots for medicinal teas for treating coughs and other ailments and to make pemmican. Newspapers wrote of the berries. County fairs had berry pie contests.

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Etta Place robbed trains with the Sundance Kid. Calamity Jane associated with Wild Bill Hickok and is buried next to him. Bell Starr stole horses, rustled cattle and robbed stagecoaches. Jennie Stevens, "Little Britches" and Annie McDoulet, "Cattle Annie" rustled cattle. Pearl Hart and Joe Boot lured cowboys into a room, hit them over the head and robbed them. They robbed a stagecoach, but got lost and were arrested and spent time in jail.

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He had the usual characteristics of gunmen, and didn’t mind shooting people. However, he became a self-appointed lawman. He survived a siege by eighty cowboys for thirty-six hours. He became a peace officer, lawyer, mayor, county clerk, school superintendent, and district attorney.

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Few gunmen were interested in using their fists. Smith was the exception, he was as handy with his fists as his six-shooters. Abilene hired Smith as their marshal, but required they pass an ordinance requiring cowboys surrender their weapons before entering town. Smith maintained peace in Abilene for several years until tragedy struck.

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The gunfighter portrayed by Hollywood is a myth. There were shootouts, people died, but the gunfighter only shot when the odds were in his favor. The fast draw did not exist. Murder was far down the list of crimes, most were drunkenness, assault, larceny, thievery, vagrancy, gambling and burglary. The gunfighter influenced literature, was a romantic figure and is the stuff of legends.

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Today is the 4th of July, we honor our founding fathers

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Over hundreds of years, tribes discovered the use of food and herbs to promote health and healing. They were skilled at treating bullet and arrow wounds. They set and immobilized fractures. They had little difficulty with childbirth. The introduction of European diseases killed millions as they had no immunity.

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The medicine man or Shaman was honored and respected second only to the chief, and sometimes was the chief. Some women were allowed to become shamans. It took seven years to become a shaman in the Blackfeet tribe. Herbs played a huge part for the shaman. There were at least 138 species of plants used for medicine and food.

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