Forgotten Old West Character: Bose Ikard

Bose Ikard is a forgotten Old West characters—and shouldn’t be. Born a slave in Mississippi in 1843, Ikard’s owner moved his operation to Texas in 1852. Ikard learned cowboying and Indian fighting.

After the Civil War freed him in 1866, Ikard went to work for famed ranchers Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight.  With the latter’s support, Ikard started his own successful ranch in 1869.

Ikard died in 1929; Goodnight put a granite marker over the grave. Goodnight said he trusted his friend “farther than any living man. He was my detective, banker, and everything else…”