As a lawman, business owner, and politician, Seth Bullock tamed the rambunctious town of Deadwood, South Dakota, a formerly lawless place home to the likes of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok.
Public DomainSeth Bullock, the Wild West lawman.
Immortalized in HBO’s 2004 series Deadwood, Seth Bullock was a lawman, businessman, and — according to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt — a “true frontiersman.” During his time in Deadwood, Bullock succeeded in civilizing the rambunctious Wild West outpost.
As the sheriff of Lawrence County, Bullock tamed the Wild West camp, transforming it from a seedy mining outpost into a prosperous place to live. He soon also befriended a fellow lawman: future president Theodore Roosevelt, who came to regard Bullock as a “true westerner.”
Today, Deadwood is remembered more for residents like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. But Seth Bullock was an invaluable force in transforming Deadwood into a civilized town in the American frontier.
Seth Bullock’s Path To Deadwood
Public DomainSeth Bullock as a young man, in an undated photo.
Seth Bullock was born on July 23, 1849, in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada. His father, George Bullock, was a British Army Sergeant Major while his mother, Agnes Findley, was a Scotswoman.
Bullock seemed to have something of an unhappy childhood. According to Seth Bullock: Black Hills Lawman by David Wolff, his father was “irascible” and a “somewhat testy, hard-nose disciplinarian” who clashed with his son. What’s more, George all but abandoned the family after he was accused of stealing funds during his tenure as County Treasurer in Sandwich, Canada.
Because Bullock’s mother died around the same time, Bullock and his seven siblings were left to fend for themselves.
As a result, Seth Bullock tried to run away from home several times. He finally succeeded at the age of 18, though not before striking up a romance with Martha Eccles, whom he’d later marry.
In 1867, Bullock moved to Helena, Montana. Between 1871 and 1872, Bullock served as a Republican to the Territorial Senate and even helped create Yellowstone National Park.
Public DomainA map of Yellowstone National Park from 1871.
In 1873, Bullock became sheriff of Lewis and Clark County, Montana. He was not only a lawman, but a entrepreneur as well, and soon opened up a hardware store with business partner Sol Star. Then, in 1874, Bullock married his childhood sweetheart, Eccles, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Life was good for Seth Bullock, but he and Star decided to try to expand their hardware business. In 1876, they moved moved to Deadwood, South Dakota, a booming mining town known for its violent residents.
Seth Bullock Makes A Name For Himself In The Wild West
Public DomainSeth Bullock and his business partner, Sol Star.
Seth Bullock moved to Deadwood, South Dakota on August 1, 1876, with Sol Star and his hardware inventory in tow. When the two arrived, they immediately set up a tent that served as their makeshift hardware store. The business quickly proved successful, but it also didn’t take long for Bullock to realize what kind of town he’d settled down in.
The day before he got to Deadwood, one of its most infamous residents, Wild Bill Hickok, was shot to death during a poker game at a Deadwood saloon. This, and the fact that Hickok’s killer initially got off scotch free, convinced many that Deadwood was in desperate need of a law and order.
Public DomainWild Bill Hickok was murdered the day before Seth Bullock arrived in Deadwood.
Bullock was more than happy to provide both. In March 1877, the governor of Dakota Territory tapped Seth Bullock to be the sheriff of Lawrence County. And as sheriff, Bullock appointed no-nonsense deputies to patrol the town of Deadwood and combat its criminal elements. Soon, Deadwood’s crime rate fell, and Bullock’s reputation soared.
It was said that Bullock never once used violence to keep order in Deadwood and did not kill anyone in his quest to bring civilization to the rambunctious mining town. Instead, his steely personality seemed to be enough. Bullock’s grandson once quipped that Bullock could “outstare a mad cobra or a rogue elephant,” according to CBS News.
And before long, Seth Bullock would meet a lawman with a kindred spirit — Theodore Roosevelt.
Seth Bullock’s Lifelong Friendship With Theodore Roosevelt
Library of CongressTheodore Roosevelt in 1884.
After “taming” Deadwood, Seth Bullock’s life became much more peaceful. He and his wife settled into their new home, and raised three children together. However, a run-in with a future U.S. president would soon transform Bullock’s life.
While bringing a horse thief back to Deadwood for trial in 1884, Bullock ran into Theodore Roosevelt, then the Deputy Sheriff of Medora, North Dakota.
“When Roosevelt and his companions crossed the Belle Fourche River, they encountered a cautious Bullock,” Wolff wrote in Seth Bullock: Black Hills Lawman. “As Roosevelt admitted, his party looked out of place, ‘exactly like an outfit of tinhorn gamblers.’ Once they exchanged introductions Bullock became much more cordial, and… this simple meeting initiated what would become a lifelong friendship between Roosevelt and Bullock.”
Indeed, the two soon became fast friends.
Public DomainA letter to Seth Bullock from Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1898, when the Spanish-American war broke out, Bullock wrote to Roosevelt asking to serve as one of his Rough Riders. Roosevelt accepted, naming Bullock captain of Troop A in Grigsby’s Cowboy Regiment. While the regiment never saw combat and spent the war at a training camp in Louisiana, Bullock was grateful for the opportunity.
He soon sought to repay Roosevelt’s favor. In 1905, Bullock organized cowboys to ride in the president’s inaugural parade. He also later became part of Roosevelt’s “Tennis Cabinet,” a group of friends who often joined the president in group sports and other outdoor activities.
For his friendship, loyalty, and experience as a lawman, Roosevelt then appointed Bullock as United States Marshal for South Dakota.
Public DomainSeth Bullock (left of the man in a gray suit) with the rest of Roosevelt’s Tennis Cabinet in 1909.
When Theodore Roosevelt died in 1919, Bullock worked with the Society of Black Hills Pioneers to build a monument to the former president on Sheep Mountain, later renamed Mount Roosevelt, in Deadwood.
It was dedicated on July 4, 1919, and is thought to be the first monument to Theodore Roosevelt in the United States.
The Death Of A Lawman And A Wild West Legend
Public DomainSeth Bullock at the monument for Teddy Roosevelt in Deadwood.
Outside of rubbing shoulders with President Roosevelt, Seth Bullock worked hard to encourage development in his state of South Dakota.
In the late 1880s, Bullock successfully appealed for the Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad to build through his ranch in Deadwood. Later, he would establish the city of Belle Fourche, which became the largest livestock shipping point in the United States.
Through his successful ventures, Bullock also funded the construction of the Bullock Hotel in Deadwood following a devastating fire that destroyed his hardware business. The three-story, 64-room hotel opened in 1896 with modern features like steam heat, and still operates to this day.
But ultimately, Seth Bullock did not live long after the death of his dear friend Roosevelt. Only eight months after the president died, Bullock succumbed to colon cancer on September 23, 1919, at the age of 70.
Joel Wintermantle / Alamy Stock PhotoSeth Bullock’s grave at Mt. Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood.
Alongside Wild Bill Hickok and other notable Deadwood personalities, Bullock is buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery, a site that faces Mount Roosevelt. He may not be the most famous of Deadwood’s residents, but Seth Bullock can certainly be credited for turning the hell-raising Wild West camp into a prosperous town on the American frontier.
After reading about Seth Bullock, discover the true story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Or, read about some of the Wild West’s most infamous outlaws, from Billy the Kid to Johnny Ringo.
