BUCKSKIN BILL

"BUCKSKIN BILL" A MOST FICTITIOUS LIFE

("Buckskin Bill" Colorado) Randolph, Col. Charles D. An l archive of material from self-proclaimed "Buckskin Bill Poet of the Plains", Charles D. Randolph (1889-1982). Randolph likely led a fairly pedestrian life in Iowa. He also spent portions of 1911 and 1913 in Saskatchewan and Montana working on ranches and farms. Along the way he gained the nickname "Buckskin Bill" and soon began fabricating a fascinating, wild and mostly fictitious life.

The Davenport, Iowa library has a synopsis of the poet stating ""For the remainder of his long life, Buckskin Bill continued to spin the yarn of living on the frontier as one of the last great cowboys, stating he had been an Army scout on raids in the Dakota Badlands and involved in uprisings that had actually occurred before he was born. No one seemed bothered by the far-fetched tales of the man with long white hair, mustache, and beard wearing the buckskin jacket and pants, showing off the saddle, rifles, and handguns, he carried during those exciting days."

The archive includes:

1. ("Buckskin Bill") Randolph, Col. Charles D. An important archive including autograph letters, a signed photo and his book WESTERN POEMS, COMPOSED AND WRITTEN BY THE WESTERN POET COL. CHARLES D. RANDOLPH. (title page) INTRODUCTION. WESTERN POEMS BY COL. CHARLES D. RANDOLPH, "BUCKSKIN BILL" This Book contains Poems describing "The Wild West," and "The Famous Scouts," of "The Early Days." Published by Charles D. Randolph. 1st 1925. 52 pgs. Pict. wraps. Vg cond.

2.The four letters, all written in 1969 (three in Randolph's hand, one in secretarial hand) are addressed to collector R.L. (Rick) Mack. The February 4th letter furthers his own mythology claiming friendships with Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, Idaho Bill, Luther North, Deadwood Dick, Diamond Dick and Buckskin Johnnie. Plus, he claimed to know Emmett Dalton, Jesse James Jr., and the son of Frank James. He falsely states he was "a colonel and a scout in the cavalry. I spent my early years in the west."

Both the Feb. 4th letter and the Feb. 14th letter talk about collecting dime novels, but the latter clarifies that he only corresponded with Diamond Dick, Pawnee Bill and Idaho Bill. Randolph, by request, returns a signed photo to Mack taken of Randolph in 1925, the same year as his book of poetry was published.

A month later "Buckskin Bill" writes "I am having a lot of trouble with my eyes of late. Everything seems foggy every day. I cannot read any more and its difficult for me to write letters."

The final letter in the collection, dated July 31, 1969, is secretarial and relays Randolph's visit in 1932 to the house where Jessie James was shot. The letter also tells of meeting and shaking the hand of Jesse James Jr. in 1926.

Two of the letters have a ragged top edge from where they were pulled from the tablet, but it does not effect the letters.

The Denver Public Library holds one original "Buckskin Bill" letter.

Overall in vg cond.