William Matthew Tilghman Jr. entered the world on July 4, 1854, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He was the third child among six born to William Matthew Tilghman Sr. and Amanda Shepherd. In 1857, the Tilghman family moved to the newly established Kansas Territory and settled on a farm near Atchison.

At seventeen years old, Bill Tilghman secured a deal to provide buffalo meat to workers constructing the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Between September 1, 1871, and April 1, 1872, Tilghman reputedly hunted down 3,300 buffalo. He later boasted of this achievement as the "all-time record." According to Zoe Tilghman, his second spouse, he also encountered and killed two Cheyenne warriors out of fear that they would inflict harm upon him.

It all started when Bill Tilghman started his career as a buffalo hunter. According to the government's rules, the Native Americans weren't supposed to leave their designated land without permission. This meant that it was illegal for them to be in Kansas without authorization, just as it would be for a white person to enter the Native American territory for hunting or trading alcohol with them. However, the Native Americans often disregarded these rules and crossed into Kansas to hunt buffalo, sometimes causing harm to the hunters.

The presence of Native Americans near the hunting camps caused tension among the hunters because the Native Americans would not only disrupt their hunting activities but also steal their belongings and, at times, even commit murder. Consequently, hunters became wary of encountering Native Americans off their designated land.


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