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This historical mural was commissioned by the Alva Mural Society, Alva, Oklahoma. It represents Bass Reeves, the first black lawman west of the Mississippi.

Born a slave, Reeves escaped his master and came west, settling among the Seminole and Creek Indian tribes in what is now Oklahoma. In 1879, at the age of 38, Reeves was deputized as a U.S. Marshall. For over thirty years he patrolled the remote and dangerous Indian Territory, a haven for outlaws of every stripe. Reeves was involved in numerous shootouts over his career. Ambidextrous and a crack shot, he killed 16 men, but was never seriously wounded himself.