Thomas, Heck, 1850-1912
Dates
- Existence: 1850-01-06 - 1912-08-14
Biographical / Historical
Heck Thomas was a legendary lawman in Texas, Arkansas and the Oklahoma Territory. As a young man, he served with his father and uncle in the Confederate army. Later he married and moved his family to Texas where he became a railroad detective and then worked for the Fort Worth Detective Association. He became a U.S. Deputy Marshal, first in Arkansas, and then in Oklahoma, where, with fellow marshals Bill Tilghman and Chris Madsen, known as Oklahoma's Three Guardsmen, they are credited with bringing order to the Territory.
Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:
Capt. John West of the Indian Police and at the right, Deputy U.S. Marshal Marshall “Heck” Thomas, undated
Black and white copy and original prints of Judge Isaac Parker and federal marshals who operated out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Also included are photographs of some of the outlaws captured or killed by the marshals. Charles B. Rhodes Manuscript Collection also in repository.
Charles B. Rhodes Photograph Collection
Black and white copy and original prints of Judge Isaac Parker and federal marshals who operated out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Also included are photographs of some of the outlaws captured or killed by the marshals. Charles B. Rhodes Manuscript Collection also in repository.
Dorothy Johnson Collection
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Collection. Stories (n.d.) written by Matie Mowbray Thomas concerning the exploits of Deputy U.S. Marshal, Heck Thomas, including a transcription of a letter written by Isaac Parker recommending Thomas' appointment as marshal of U.S. courts for Oklahoma; Correspondence (1876-1960) concerning Heck Thomas, including a letter to Thomas from U.S. Senator Tom P. Gore, a letter to Bill Doolin from his wife, Edith, and a letter to Matie Thomas from Chris Madsen. Also includes magazine articles (1935) titled "Truth is Stranger than Fiction" and "Heck Thomas Collects" recounting the exploits of Heck Thomas as a railroad express messenger in Texas, and as U.S. deputy marshal in Indian Territory; and diaries (1889-1895) kept by Heck Thomas which include notations about cases, witnesses, etc.
First row, L to R: Heck Thomas (U.S. Marshall), Morris Roebecker, Second row: two Osage scouts. Third row: Havihurst, Col. Roy Hoffman., undated
Frank M. Canton Collection
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Lawman. Canton's correspondence while a U.S. Deputy Marshal and Oklahoma Adjutant General; reminiscenses of his experiences in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Alaska; newspaper clippings about his experiences and related artifacts. Also contains autobiographical material on Canton.
Frank Phillips Photograph Collection
Noah Hamilton Rose Photograph Collection
Black and white copy prints from the original nitrate negatives of early Texas history, Texas Rangers, lawmen, outlaws, gunfighters, and wild west shows. Also included are photographs of ranchers, cattlemen and cowboys of the Southwest, the U.S. Army during the Apache campaigns, the Little Big Horn battlefield and the Indian Wars of 1876 and 1890-1891, along with churches, cathedrals, and missions of Texas, California and Arizona. The collection also contains images of Comanche, Sioux, Shoshoni, Pueblo, Creek, Chippewa, Maricopa, Arapaho, Papago, Kickapoo, Yuma, Modoc, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Kiowa, Navajo, Apache, and Crow Indians. Prominent western personalities include Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, Geronimo, Quanah Parker, Sitting Bull, Frank and Jesse James, Heck Thomas, Bill Tilghman, Chris Madsen, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, the Daltons and Youngers, Judge Roy Bean, George A. Custer, California Joe, the Sundance Kid, Butch Cassidy, and the Earp brothers.
U.S. District Court Collection: Western District of Oklahoma
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Stenographers' notebooks (1893-1910); books (1873-1912) of statutes, cases, and rules of procedure; U.S. Marshal's records (1890-1912), and Court Clerk's records (1892-1921) concerning witness, juror, prisoner, and court staff expenses; ledgers (1898-1935); and correspondence (1894-1926) of the Court Clerk and the Marshal with the Attorney General, the United States Attorney and others. U.S. District Court Photograph Collection also in repository.
W. E. Tomlinson Photograph Collection
Black and white original and copy prints of Lawton, Oklahoma Territory, including street scenes, businesses, United States marshals, the Lawton police, and railroads. W. E. Tomlinson Manuscript Collection also in repository.
Walter S. Ferguson Photograph Collection
Black and white original and copy prints of Oklahoma outlaws, lawmen, agriculture, wild west shows, land openings, businesses, towns and cities, schools, settlers, members of the state government and of the U.S. Army. Also included are images of Cherokee, Osage, Delaware, Seminole, Comanche, Creek, and Apache Indians. Walter S. Ferguson Manuscript Collection also in repository.
Walter Stanley Campbell Collection
Professor. Personal correspondence (1897–1957); correspondence with Campbell’s relatives (1822–1896); correspondence with publishers and literary agents (1920–1958); literary manuscripts (circa 1914–1957); diaries, notebooks, and journals (1901–1926); and business papers (circa 1925–1959) regarding Campbell’s writings on the West, Indians, and Oklahoma, with emphasis on transportation, fortifications, cowboys, wars and battles, criminals and outlaws, and American Indian chiefs, along with original Indian art by Carl Sweezy. [Boxes 104 through 121 of this collection are available online at the OU Libraries website.]FULL FINDING AID (PDF)