DID YOU KNOW the characters in @Netflix’s western revenge tale #TheHarderTheyFall were based on actual figures from the old west? 🤠 👆 Check out this original art by Tumblr Creatr Patience Lekien based on the IRL Bass Reeves! Born into slavery in Arkansas, Bass Reeves escaped to Indian Territory after being forced to assist his enslaver during the Civil War. Officially freed by the 13th Amendment, he became one of the first U.S. deputy marshals west of the Mississippi River in 1875. For 32 years, he hunted down 3,000+ criminals—including white men charged with crimes against Black people, and once, his own son. A fearsome quick draw artist, Reeves routinely rounded up dozens of outlaws at a time. Many think he was the inspiration for the fictional Lone Ranger. Reeves was relieved of his duty in 1907, when the newly minted state of Oklahoma’s law made it illegal for Black men to serve. (1838–1910) 🎥 Watch The Harder They Fall, playing in select theaters on October 22 and on Netflix globally on November 3.
