Famous Shoes

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Famous Shoes is a fictional Kickapoo tracker who appears in two books in the Lonesome Dove series.

[edit] Comanche Moon

Famous Shoes makes his second appearance in the series, though his first chronologically, in this book. In the film, he is played by David Midthunder. He and Joshua Deets appear together for the first and only time in this book, which is rather ironic, since Deets would later become a tracker for Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call, and Famous Shoes does the same job in both of his appearances.

He first appears as a tracker who works occasionally works with the Texas Rangers. In keeping with the tradition of his people, he never rides horses, preferring to walk everywhere. However, he can often walk further on foot than his followers on horse, hence his name. He also has a habit of disappearing for days at a time and turning up unexpectedly. He works with the Rangers not because he wants to, but because the direction he is meant to go interests him, as he will follow any curiosity that comes up.

In this book, he is tracking for the Texas Rangers under the command of Inish Scull as they track Buffalo Hump and Kicking Wolf. During this expedition, Kicking Wolf steals Scull's horse, Hector, and Scull enlists Famous Shoes's help, abandoning his troop. Famous Shoes helps Scull get down to Mexico, but does not accompany him all the way into the camp of the Black Vaquero, Ahumado, to whom Kicking Wolf gave the horse.

[edit] Streets of Laredo

Famous Shoes makes his first appearance in this book, though it is his second and last in story chronology. As with Comanche Moon, he is a tracker working with Woodrow F. Call and Pea Eye Parker. He did not appear in Lonesome Dove, and in this book his role is quite similar to the role that Joshua Deets played in Lonesome Dove. In the film version, he is played by Wes Studi, who also played Buffalo Hump in Comanche Moon.