Jack Longstreet

Jack Longstreet's life before 1880 is unknown. In 1880 he staked mining claims in Northern Arizona, claimed a Native American wife, and two years later opened a saloon and drug store in Moapa, Nevada. By 1888 he was in Oasis Valley near Beatty, and in 1890 he opened a saloon in the short-lived boom town of Sylvania. There he helped kidnap and force the Sylvania Mine foreman to pay his Paiute workers with checks drawn on the local bank rather than with near-worthless scrip. After this he moved on, always cutting a formidable figure as a known gunman. He was a rancher, prospector, and saloon keeper who backed away from no fight and cowed even seasoned lawmen. He was a friend of the local Native American tribes and even spoke the language of the Southern Paiutes. He had several native wives, the last being Fannie Black. He was an integral part of Southern Nevada until his death in 1928.

Amargosa Valley, Nevada · United States