Is Wild Bill Hickok Dead or Still Alive? Wild Bill Hickok Birthday and Date of Death

Wild Bill Hickok Death

James passed away on August 2, 1876 at the age of 39 in Deadwood, Dakota Territory (present-day South Dakota). James's cause of death was murdered by gunshot.

Wild Bill Hickok Birthday and Date of Death

Wild Bill Hickok was born on May 27, 1837 and died on August 2, 1876. James was 39 years old at the time of death.

Birthday: May 27, 1837
Date of Death: August 2, 1876
Age at Death: 39

Wild Bill Hickok - Biography

Sometimes confused with Buffalo Bill CodyJames Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West, known for his work across the frontier as a drover, wagon master, soldier, spy, scout, lawman, gunfighter, gambler, showman, and actor. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish - often fabricated - tales he told about his life. Some contemporary reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious but, along with his own stories, remain the basis for much of his fame and reputation.Hickok was born and raised on a farm in northern Illinois, at a time when lawlessness and vigilante activity was rampant because of the influence of the "Banditti of the Prairie". Hickok was drawn to this ruffian lifestyle and headed west at age 18 as a fugitive from justice, working as a stagecoach driver and later as a lawman in the frontier territories of Kansas and Nebraska. He fought and spied for the Union Army during the American Civil War and gained publicity after the war as a scout, marksman, actor, and professional gambler. Over the course of his life, he was involved in several notable shootouts.In 1876, Hickok was shot from behind and killed while playing poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, by Jack McCall, an unsuccessful gambler. The hand of cards which he supposedly held at the time of his death (including the ace of spades, the ace of clubs, the eight of spades and the eight of clubs) has become known as the dead man's hand.Hickok remains a popular figure in frontier history. Many historic sites and monuments commemorate his life, and he has been depicted numerous times in literature, film, and television. He is chiefly portrayed as a protagonist, though historical accounts of his actions are often controversial.