The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-04-10
CAPTAIN SETH BULLOCK PASSES
THROUGH BILLINGS.
SHORT CHARACTER SKETCH
Some Real Facts Concerning Now
Famous Pioneer and Former
Thief Taker.

Among those who were at Living
ston yesterday and attended the re-
ception given President Roosevelt was
Captain Seth Bullock OF Deadwood,
S.. d., a gentleman whose name has
become decidedly familiar to the
newspaper readers of the country be-
cause of his intimate social relations
with the president. Captain Bullock
went from his home to Sioux Falls to
meet President Roosevelt and at the
invitation OF the latter joined the
presidentiay party and travelled with
1t until Livingston was reached.
There he remained until this morn
ing's eastbound Burlington train ar
rived, when he returned to Deadwood.
So much has been written by the
now famous pioneer and frontiersman
that he may be said to have become
almost a national character. While
much that has appeared in print con-
corning him is true, much also is not
true. That he is a typical ''oldtimer"
is eminently SO, but he is not the re-
formed desperate ana killer" that
some of the correspondents have
made him appear. On the contrary,
he is eminently a gentleman, polished,
courteous and affable and a friend to
tie to. Having spent the greater part
of his somewhat varied and adventur-
our life on the frontier, it is but natur-
al that he should have had some de-
cidedly startling and thrilling expert
ences and he has figured in many OF
the stirring events that go to make
much of the history OF the pioneer
days of Montana and what is now
South Dakota. He was among the
first to be attracted to Last Chance
of brave and daring men who forced
their way into the Black Hills when
that region became the magnet that
attracted the seekers after fortune
and adventure. AS the first sheriff
of Deadwood he came in contact with
a great deal OF lawlessness and often
found the position one that called for
all the nerve and bravery for which
he is noted. He did his duty at all
times, it is needless to say, but at no
time was he the dime novel hero his
present day b%iographers attempt
to make him. He is simply a man,
Il eold one, who knew what was ~
quired of him and was content to do
it. While he never shirked a duty be.
cause it may have been dangerous,
he never sought notoriety and never
was a terror" unless to the evil
doors and l~aw-breakers because he
stood for law and order and endeavor-
ed to maintain both. Modest to a de-
gree almost bashful, he never sought
to acquire notoriety or to gain a repu-
tation such as now is given him by
imaginative. newspaper writer's.
To him belongs the credit OF having
| HldSC liz ~ 81 lAlOSS IA A~S
ly resulted in establishing Yellow
stone National park. In the early
seventies he was a member OF the ter
ritorial legislature of Montana and
introduced a joint memorial to con
gress asking that the park be set
aside as a national institution. w. II:
Clagget, then Montana's delegate in
congress-. procured introduction OF the
memorial and personally interested
himself in securing enactment OF the
legislation that made the park a fact.
In 1871 Mr.. Bullock made a tour
of the park and still has a diary he
kept on that occasion. 1t is n OF his
most treasured possessions, made all
the more valuable because OF the
earmarks it bears of two great fires
through which it passed, the first that
resulted in the destruction OF Helena
and the other that marked the fiery
baptism OF Deadwood, in both OF
which the captain lost almost every
thing he possessed On earth. Some
day the diary will be given a place In
the archives of the Montana Histori-
cal society, the captain having decid-
ed that it's proper repository is there.
Captain Bullock is remembered here
by the first settlers of Billings as hav-
ing been interested in a hardware
store in the block in Montana avenue
bounded by T~wenty-sixth and Twenty
covouth ctrootc He retained his in.