David J. Cook (1840/1842 – April 2, 1907) was an American

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

lawman and City Marshal of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, responsible for over 3,000 arrests.

Biography

Early years

Cook was born near

La Porte, Indiana La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, India ...

. Growing up, he worked as a farmhand before moving to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

in 1855, and then in 1859 to

Gilpin County, Colorado Gilpin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado, smallest in land area behind only the City and County of Broomfield. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,808. The county seat is Central City. The county was formed in 1 ...

, looking to

prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...

for

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

Military and law enforcement career

In 1861 he joined the Colorado Cavalry upon the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, and was later assigned to

counterespionage Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ot ...

for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

, tracking Confederate spies, investigating gold smuggling and similar crimes. His success led him to found the "Rocky Mountain Detective Association", a freelance, volunteer-only group of Colorado troubleshooters, similar in character to the

Pinkerton Detective Agency Pinkerton is a private security guard and detective agency established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinkerton ...

. Although its offices were in Denver, its cases took him all over the west. From 1866 to 1869, Cook served as marshal of Denver, as well as acting as a federal marshal and range detective. In 1868 Cook tracked down the notorious Musgrove-Franklin Gang, who were credited with twelve murders, and apprehended gang leader L. H. Musgrove in the

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The bo ...

. Having subsequently transported Musgrove to jail in Denver, Cook cleverly predicted his partner Ed Franklin would attempt a rescue. Upon Franklin's arrival into Denver, Cook tracked him to a room in the Overland Hotel. Franklin reportedly reached for a pistol and Cook shot him to death. In 1878, Cook helped quell a major revolt of the

Ute tribe Ute () are the Indigenous people of the Ute tribe and culture among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. They had lived in sovereignty in the regions of present-day Utah and Colorado in the Southwestern United States for many centuries unt ...

in Colorado. In 1880, he served as the arbitrator in a silver mine

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

Leadville, Colorado The City of Leadville is a statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,602 at the 2010 census and an estimated ...

Memoir

In 1882 Cook published a memoir titled ''Hands Up! or Thirty-five Years of Detective Work in the Mountains and on the Plains'', either writing it himself or dictating it to another. It is rumored to have been ghostwritten by Thomas F. Dawson,COOK, David J., Hands Up; or, Thirty-Five Years of Detective Life in the Mountains
editor of the Denver Times and personal secretary to

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

Henry Teller Henry Moore Teller (May 23, 1830February 23, 1914) was an American politician from Colorado, serving as a US senator between 1876–1882 and 1885–1909, also serving as Secretary of the Interior between 1882 and 1885. He strongly opposed the D ...

. Although a purported autobiography, it is written entirely in the third person. It remains the sole major source of knowledge about Cook's life and accomplishments.

Death

Cook lived in Denver until his death. He was buried in Denver's Riverside Cemetery.

Sources

*Sifakis, Carl. Encyclopedia of American Crime, New York, Facts on File Inc., 1982 * *Gibson, E. ''David Cook and the Rocky Mountain Detective Agency'', which uses as its source ''Hands Up! or Twenty Years of Detective Work in the Mountains and on the Plains'' (ostensibly written by Cook)

External links

Free Dictionary at the Columbia University Press, 2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, David J. 1840s births 1907 deaths American town marshals Lawmen of the American Old West People from Denver People from La Porte, Indiana Colorado sheriffs