Wild Bill was born James Butler Hickok in Troy Grove, Illinois on May 27, 1837. At age 18, he moved to Kansas Territory, became a farmer, joined the Free State Army, and then became constable of Monticello. On the Oregon and Santa Fe trails, he found jobs as a stagecoach driver and a scout. Hickok participated in the shoot-out with the McCanles gang in Rock Creek, Nebraska and is famous for surviving a bear attack with only a bowie knife as defense. Later he traveled to Missouri and during the Civil War served as a spy and scout for the Union. It was after the war that Hickok received his appointment as deputy United States marshal at Fort Riley, Kansas. That frontier town had a growing cattle business and a reputation for lawlessness. There Hickok fought in many Indian battles and served as a scout for several military leaders, including Lieutenant Colonel Custer. He moved on to be marshal at two other violent Kansas towns: Hays City and Abilene. He became famous for keeping the peace through courage and sharp-shooting skills. By the time of Abilene, Hickok had modestly admitted to killing over 100 men. Hickok then toured with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show from 1872 to 1873. While playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota he was shot from behind. The hand he was holding--a pair of aces and a pair of eights--came to be called the “dead man’s hand.”