At the age of 18, Hickok moved westward in 1855 to Kansas, where he initially took up farming. However, his involvement with General James Lane's Free State forces during the tumultuous period of Bleeding Kansas propelled him into a life of law enforcement. Shortly thereafter, Hickok was elected constable of Monticello Township in Johnson County, Kansas. It was this early engagement with law enforcement that crafted his identity and reputation as a skilled marksman and lawman, laying the groundwork for his future roles as sheriff in Hays City and marshal in Abilene.
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