True West Magazine - Logo

So, Who was Dan Dedrick?

by | May 24, 2011 | Features & Gunfights

dan_dedrick_billy-the-kid
His real name was Daniel Charles Dietrich. Born of Pennsylvania Dutch stock in Indiana on January 25, 1847, he grew up near Plymouth, Kansas. Exactly where the tintype of him was made is not known, but it was almost certainly before he arrived in New Mexico late in 1877 after (as one source suggests) escaping from a Fort Smith, Arkansas, jail. Family tradition says he fought in the Lincoln County War on the McSween side (which might account for his friendship with Billy the Kid). Wounded


Already Signed Up? Log in here.

Read this article now for Free!

Ready for a third free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.

— OR —

Sign Up Now for $29.95 a year and have immediate access to all of True West content, including the complete True West Archives dating back to 1953!

SIGN UP NOW or SIGN IN

This digital subscription is in no way connected to your Print Subscription. They are totally separate and cannot be connected. If you have a Print Subscription with True West, you will need to pay for a separate subscription to access this website and will receive a totally different Log In password. If you have an existing digital component to your Print subscription, you'll need to Sign In and request a new password.