Just prior to his marriage to Agnes, "Wild Bill" was assembling a party to go prospecting for gold in the new strike in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory. He was anxious to head West again. It is not known if he was solely interested in a gold strike or possibly wanting to set up a ranch or farm there

Giving up his lawman/gambler life would have been difficult, but clues to his intentions might be found in a letter sent to Agnes on July 17, 1876. The letter said, " I know my Agnes, and only live to love her. Never mind, Pet, We will have a home yet, then we will be so happy. I am almost sure I will do well hear." Agnes has decided to stay behind to care for her daughter Emma who was about to give birth to her only child, Daisy.

Two weeks after the July 17 letter, "Wild Bill" was in a bar in Deadwood, a city located in modern day South Dakota. He decided to play cards and took the only seat available at the table. Normally, he was very careful with his seating, always keeping his back to the wall facing the front door. But on that day, perhaps the newly wedded and carefree, Hickock did the opposite. Jack McCall, who claimed that "Wild Bill" had killed his brother, approached Hickok from behind and shot him in the back of the head.

Hickok was already a legend when he died and newspapers, penny novels etc. added to his fame. Many of them exaggerated his story, adding in untruths and misinformation. Agnes, his only wife, was barely mentioned at all in those accounts. Instead, one of those exaggerated accounts was Hickok’s relationship with Calamity Jane. While it is known that they were acquaintances, there is no proof that they were anymore than that. Jane, despite never marrying Hickok, did get her dying wish and is buried next to him in Deadwood.

Agnes never remarried. She went on to live with her daughter and son-in-law in New Jersey and passed away of old age infirmities on August 21, 1907. She was interred at Spring Grove Cemetery.

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When the writer of the Agnes Lake Hickok story series first heard of her story, they decided that this is definitely one that needed to be shared with the residents of Mercer County. Like most people that want to learn more about a subject these days, the writer turned to the Internet. What an eye opener and lesson learned! The writer found conflicting info about Agnes, including where she was born, where her family first moved to when they came to the States, and more. 

Thanks to MCHS board member Lee Pohlman, much of Agnes’s story has relied on primary sources such as her baptismal record which was written in German. Where primary sources could not be found, the writer used info found on the web that agreed from multiple sites and disregarded the odd ones that didn't. It is important to remember that much of the info about Agnes came from newspapers that tended to be sensational, something that was common back then. Circus performers of that day also tended to enhance or exaggerate their own biographies to make themselves more interesting.

We hope you have enjoyed the story of former Mercer countian Agnes Lake Hickok. She was certainly a notable & one-of-a-kind lady.

The Riley House museum is located at 130 E. Market St. in Celina, Ohio. We are open Monday and Friday 9-5 and admission is free.