Discovering My Heritage While Creating a Black Cowboy for a TTRPG
When I first sat down to do research for my character in the Eat the Reich RPG—a Nazi-hunting vampire cowboy named Happy Lee Freeman—I thought it was going to be a straightforward dive into Western history and the supernatural. Instead, what I uncovered was far deeper, more personal, and surprisingly reflective of my own heritage as an African American. My character became not only a symbol of righteous vengeance but also an homage to the rich, yet often overlooked history of Black cowboys and pioneers of the Wild West.
The Unexpected Journey: From Fiction to Reality
I knew I wanted my character to be a cowboy—a larger-than-life, gun-slinging hero in the style of the Westerns I grew up watching. But as I started looking into Black cowboys, I found myself standing on the shoulders of real-life legends like Nat Love, Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and others. The more I dug into their stories, the more I realized that the idea of the cowboy, a rugged symbol of freedom and frontier justice, was shaped largely by Black men and women whose contributions to the American West have been hidden by mainstream history. My research was as much about learning who these people were as it was about discovering how connected I am to their stories—by both geography and shared heritage.
Nat Love: The Cowboy Who Walked My Path
Nat Love, often known as "Deadwood Dick," was a name I quickly came across. Born into slavery in Tennessee, Love freed himself and made his way west, where he became a skilled cowboy and gunslinger. He was celebrated for his abilities at roping and riding, and eventually, he made his way to Denver—a city that I, too, now call home. After an adventurous life as a cowboy, Nat Love settled down and became a Pullman Porter, working on the trains that connected the West to the rest of the country.
As part of my day job, I give tours where I often talk about the influence of Pullman Porters on American history. These men played a huge role in shaping Black middle-class life and even the Civil Rights Movement. To realize that Nat Love, this Black cowboy from the Old West, transitioned into the very line of work I talk about on tours was profound. It felt like our lives, though separated by time, had walked some of the same roads. It was a reminder that the West wasn't just a place of legends, but also a place where my own history runs deep.
Stagecoach Mary: A Towering Figure
Another legendary figure I encountered was Mary Fields, better known as "Stagecoach Mary." Standing at six feet tall and known for her no-nonsense attitude, whiskey-drinking, and brawling with men, she became one of the first Black women to deliver mail in the West. Stagecoach Mary was the embodiment of strength and defiance, traits that seem larger than life but were born out of necessity. She was someone who refused to be put in a box, taking on roles society would never have imagined for a Black woman in the 1800s.
Reading about her, I saw parallels to the women in my own family—resilient, fiercely independent, and unafraid to carve out their own paths, no matter the opposition. Her story reminded me that the Wild West wasn’t just a place for men in white hats and quick-draw shootouts—it was also a land where Black women like Mary Fields fought to survive and thrive.
Jim West: Fiction Reflecting Reality
While digging into the historical figures of the Old West, I also couldn’t help but think of Will Smith’s character, Jim West, from the 1999 movie Wild Wild West. Although the film was far from historically accurate, Smith’s portrayal of a Black cowboy hero gave me, as a kid, a much-needed dose of representation in a genre that traditionally erased Black presence from its narratives. Jim West was a fictional character, but he was also a symbol of something very real—the fact that Black cowboys were central to the Western experience, even if Hollywood had mostly ignored them.
Learning About Myself
What started as research for a character turned into a mirror of my own life. Like Nat Love, I moved west (though my journey was from Southern California to Denver), and like the Black cowboys and pioneers, I’ve been carving out my own space in a world that often overlooks people like me. Creating Happy Lee Freeman wasn’t just about building a vampire-slaying cowboy—it became a way to honor my own heritage, my family history, and the legacy of African Americans in the Wild West.
I was already aware that Black cowboys were the original inspiration for the massively popular Western genre, but this research allowed me to put names and faces to that knowledge. Heroes like Bass Reeves, the first Black deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi, Cherokee Bill, the infamous outlaw, and the Buffalo Soldiers, who were instrumental in settling the frontier, all had their place in shaping the West as we know it. The more I learned, the more I realized that Happy Lee Freeman isn’t just a character I’m playing—they’re a living tribute to the strength, resilience, and grit of my ancestors.
Final Thoughts: Honoring History Through Fantasy
Researching for Eat the Reich brought me face-to-face with a history I’d always known existed but hadn’t fully explored about my own life. As I continue to play Happy Lee Freeman, I feel a deep pride knowing that they represent more than just a fictional character. They’re a blend of historical fact, family history, and personal identity. In them, I see not just a vampire-hunting cowboy, but a reflection of myself—a modern African American with roots in the Wild West, keeping alive the stories of Black pioneers who helped build this country.
By learning about Nat Love, Stagecoach Mary, and the many other Black heroes of the West, I’ve not only enriched my role-playing experience but also reconnected with a history that runs through my veins. Happy Lee Freeman might be hunting monsters in an alternate history, but their spirit, much like the real Black cowboys and cowgirls of the past, lives on in me.
