Pecos Bill (/ˈpeɪkəs/ PAY-kəs)[1] is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona.

These narratives were invented as short stories in a book by Tex O'Reilly in the early 20th century and are an example of American "fakelore".

Pecos Bill was a late addition to the larger-than-life characters, such as Paul Bunyan or John Henry.

The first known stories were published in 1917 by Edward O'Reilly for The Century Magazine, and collected and reprinted in 1923 in the book Saga of Pecos Bill.

O'Reilly claimed they were part of an oral tradition of tales told by cowboys during the westward expansion and settlement of the southwest, including Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Pecos Bill made the leap to film in the 1948 Walt Disney animated feature Melody Time.

"Pecos Bill" was also the nickname of Civil War general William Shafter,[4] although this was before O'Reilly created the legend.

Pecos Bill had a sweetheart named Slue-Foot Sue, who rode a giant catfish down the Rio Grande.

In James Cloyd Bowman's version of the story, Sue eventually recovers from the bouncing, but is so traumatized by the experience she never speaks to Pecos Bill ever again.

After she has been bouncing for days, Pecos Bill realizes that she would eventually starve to death, so he lassos her with Shake the rattlesnake and brings her back down to Earth.

In a school story book (leveled reader), Bill finds a tornado and lassos it, and then they reunite.

In the "Pecos Bill" episode of Tall Tales & Legends (1985), Sue is played by Rebecca De Mornay.