CRAWFORD GOLDSBY (1876–1896)

An African American, Crawford “Cherokee Bill” Goldsby became one of the most famous outlaws in the history of the Indian Territory. Goldsby was born in Fort Concho, Texas. His father was George Goldsby, a first sergeant of the Tenth Cavalry, and his mother was a Cherokee freedwoman named Ellen Beck, an official laundress for the Tenth Cavalry at the fort. Racial problems at San Angelo, the civilian community adjacent to Fort Concho, caused George Goldsby to go AWOL from the army. Ellen moved her family back to her home at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory. By the time he reached his teenage years, Goldsby had developed a bad attitude, associated with unsavory characters, drank whiskey, and rebelled against authority. His foster father put him out of the house, and he fell in with young men who had criminal designs.