“I bet you nine out of 10 people in this country think that cowboys were all white – as I did.”

In the real Old West, as opposed to the film depiction, black cowboys were a common sight.

…Not only did Hollywood ignore black cowboys, it plundered their real stories as material for some of its films.

The Lone Ranger, for example, is believed to have been inspired by Bass Reeves, a black lawman who used disguises, had a Native American sidekick and went through his whole career without being shot.

America’s forgotten black cowboys – BBC News

hmmm