Deadly gunman and Old West folk hero James “Wild Bill” Hickok was born in Illinois on May 27, 1837. It's recent enough that we even have photographs of the families that traveled out and the lives they made, little glimpses into life in the real Wild West. They could take entire fortunes from banks that had slightly less security than a modern hot dog stand. But it's not like the six-shooter of the time was very dangerous anyway. The natives were absolutely repulsed at this, as this was a strange behavior for them. Are you frightened by MS Paint and simply have a funny idea? Reconstruction of C. hesternus – By Sergiodlarosa – CC BY-SA 3.0. Now, the most famous robberies -- the jobs pulled by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- were actually true. Reeves … Americans especially loved the old west, for its gunfights, cowboys, stagecoach robberies, and clashes with Indians. This era of massive migration and settlement was … All of the curling and ornamentation came later, but this hat is the granddaddy of every cowboy hat in the world today. Brothels flourished in the Old West … Hell, even if we'd never seen a Western in our lives, that would seem like a low number. During this same period, settlers killed over 400 Native Americans. But it's not like vaqueros went the way of the cowboy at the time, either. Any expedition into "injun" territory came with the warning that you'd better go well-armed. The settlers in turn did the right thing and outright stole the entire culture, including the title of "vaqueros," which was turned into "buckaroos.". Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE, Police arrest a 72-year-old “suburban grandfather” suspected of being the Golden State Killer, “I’m not dead yet”: some Buddhist monks followed self-mummification, Project Azorian: Howard Hughes’ secret mission, 1960s U.S. satellite that started transmitting again in 2013, The “Walk of Shame” in Game of Thrones historical inspiration, The only unsolved skyjacking case in U.S. history might have a break, Kurt Gödel became too paranoid to eat and died of starvation, “Little Ease”: One of the most feared torture devices in the Tower of London, The humble English girl who became Cora Pearl, Walt Disney softened the original Snow White story. Corral was caused by one gang being unwilling to abide by the anti-firearm rule of Tombstone. In fact, famed Western historian Lucius "Clearly a Fake Name" Beebe went so far as to call it "the hat that won the West." Others were widowed with no other way to earn a living. In a thorough review of the “West was violent” literature, Bruce Benson (1998) discovered that many historians simply assumethat violence was pervasive—even more so than in modern-day America—and then theorize about its likely causes. Research can find evidence of only about eight true bank heists, and that's across 15 states in 40 freaking years. Travelling in heat, fighting with nature, starving for days and searching for every drop of water; the emigrants had no view of their ‘wardrobe’ especially when they were literally fighting for their lives. Most of the travelers packed a pair of goggles to avoid being devastated by the thick dust clouds and looked like a freshly unearthed mummy by the time they reached their destination. Women stepped into the seedy side of life for a number of reasons. Looking For The Best Medieval Artists? In the beginning, there was definitely gun violence, as there was neither standardized law nor a good way to enforce it, but the Wild West didn't stay wild forever. In the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century, the media focused largely on the American West, which is sometimes called the Wild West or the Old West. Shotguns and rifles were the preferred weapons, having both the power and the range to put down a mountain lion or a card-cheating son of a bitch. sparsely populated and uncultivated, not that it was particularly lawless or dangerous. There may be no name more evocative of the Wild West than Deadwood. … What it's like now: Watch daily Wild West Show shootouts on Main Street or re-enactments of Wild Bill Hickok's slaying. Just look at HBO’s Westworld — it’s filled with blood-thirsty bandits but nary a gay cowboy. Even so, many myths have arisen about the period. The events in this timeline occurred primarily in the portion of the modern United States west of the Mississippi River, and mostly in the period between the Louisiana Purchasein … The Adams, one of the first revolvers introduced at the time and a hallmark weapon of the era, would burn the living hell out of your hand while launching the bullet. Another is a bit simpler: Jane was a popular nickname for women in the Wild West (Lewis and Clark called Sacagawea “Jane”), and her life had been such a calamity. Starting in 1878, some 25 years into the westward expansion, action was finally taken -- even places as wild as Dodge City started posting signs like this: In fact, the gunfight at the O.K. Eight. As a point of comparison, bank robberies in 2010 amounted to 5,600. In fact, they precede Plymouth Rock by some 20 years, meaning they're older than America itself. On a riverbank in Texas, a master of disguise waited patiently with his accomplice, hoping that his target, an infamous horse thief, would show himself on the trail. The last time anyone saw a camel in the west was in Texas in 1941. Fortunately, it hasn’t been that long since our ancestors tamed the American frontier. Hell, it wouldn't even be possible to "circle the wagons" in an emergency -- these wagon trains typically traveled spread out in a line several miles wide, rather than in the column that the term "train" suggests, in an effort to avoid each other's dust, wheel ruts, and debris. RARE photos of Colorado brothels during the 1800s show America’s Wild West and the tough women who plied their trade. The movie's villain, Dr. Arliss Loveless, is an amalgamation of two villains from the original series, the tech-savvy recurring villain of the original Wild Wild West television show named Dr. Miguelito Loveless (played by Michael Dunn), who was a little person rather than an amputee, and who appeared in 10 episodes total, and an amputee Confederate Colonel named Noel Bartley … One in four are believed to be black men who were released from slavery but didn't have the ability to flee far from their captors. The lawlessness, the guns, the constant Indian attacks? Springing from the bushes, the cowboy confronted his frightened mark with a warrant. Well ... not exactly. The affair started in the early 1800’s when American authorities seriously took notice of the notion that camels could easily adapt the harsh western conditions and could bring some prosperity in terms of carrying and food as well. In that half-a-minute of mayhem and murder at around 3pm on 26 October 1881, three outlaws from a gang known as the ‘Cowboys’ were shot dead when they faced off against the Earp brothers and their friend Doc Holliday. But they seemed to wear everything but what we think of as "cowboy" hats. Below are 47 wild facts about the American Frontier. Fascinating photos from 120 years ago show what life was really like in the Wild West. So if you get in your time machine and set it for 1870, you'd damn well better be packing one of these: Lots of people wore hats back then, that part's true. Related story from us: Quick on the draw: Famous gunmen of the Old West. And all of this has to be true; we know that horrific numbers of people died when settlers expanded West. Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West Copyright © 2005-2021. You’ve seen it in countless westerns. To put this in perspective, at the time a pound of meat cost approximately one cent or even less in some places. In reality, the situation in the old west was not that bad, actually less violent than the other parts of America. They also wore chaps, held rodeos, and lived the life of a cowboy in relative anonymity for some 200 years. Another fact which was totally ignored by the western filmmakers was the presence of camels in 19th century Wild West. As it turns out, this exciting period in American history wasn't as rife with murderous debauchery as Western movies and pulpy novels would have us believe. In reality, the people moving towards frontier traveled in groups of hundreds of wagons on dirt roads. When you walk out the front door with the loot, there's the sheriff waiting for you. Some of the camels were captured by the circus for shows and carrying stuff. The good guy and the bad guy meet in the street at high noon. We have some bad news: the U.S. was never the "underdog" we think we were, everything you know about ancient Egypt is Hollywood nonsense and your favorite book sellers are now taking pre-orders for a text book written and illustrated entirely by the Cracked team! Regardless of the vision of the Wild West one may have, the old west was nothing like what it has been portrayed on a cinema screen for the better part of last century. There's always the boots, too, but they kind of go together as a pair. Native Americans had become accustomed to the elements and learned to live with the hardships, and most of them washed regularly; far more frequently than the emigrants. The 'soiled doves' of the Wild West: Photos reveal the everyday lives of prostitutes in the brothels of the American Frontier. Are you on Google+? But it turns out the reality of cowboy life was way less romantic and way more prone to stuff like STDs. So you had to be really sure you wanted to shoot that dude. The hats were practical, lightweight, and made with utility in mind. Connect to your existing Cracked account if you have one or create a new Cracked username. Days were long, very long if you put in the equation the scorching heat. The circle formation of wagons in the nights that Western got ‘right’ (perhaps the only thing they got right about the west) was not a defensive measure against attacking Native tribes; it was rather a move to stop the animals from wandering off and leaving people helpless in the wilderness. It was far more likely that the average settler would trade with Native Americans or hire members of various tribes as guides, rather than fight them. Writer Emma R. Marek found Laura Evens of Salida, Colorado, … Wayne’s unforgettable image is what many of us picture today as what an Old West Cowboy looks, sounds, and acts like. The Wild West provides some of the most enduring tenets of American mythology, perpetuated by film legends from Bronco Billy to Clint Eastwood. When Americans moved westward, it was these vaqueros who knew the land and wildlife enough to help teach the future American cowboys everything they knew. Back then, every man, woman, and child came pre-equipped with an old-timey revolver, which was used for everything from personal defense and hunting to celebrating. Drinking water without a doubt was as expensive in the old west as gold. In addition, some authors assume that the West was very violent and then assert, as Joe Franz does, that “American violence today reflects our frontier heritage” (Fran… They came up with all of the cowboy lingo, including "bronco," "lariat," and even "stampede." This timeline of the American Old West is a chronologically ordered list of events significant to the development of the American West as a region of the United States. Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? This may come to many as a shock that Native Americans were absolutely flabbergasted to see the hygiene of the new western emigrants; they were disgusted. Well, not really. This documentary series, which was made in 1992, shows stories of how the real West was created and separates fact from fiction. Check For Blue Teeth. Photographs were taken of the families that traveled West, and they offer glimpses of what life was like during that time period. In fact, the first real Wild West showdown (that we know about) was between a man named Davis Tutt and the infamous Wild Bill Hickock himself. Many of us will associate the term traffic jam with modern lifestyle; in fact, the good old west had its fair share of traffic jams on its trails. It was a rainbow cowboy coalition! As for the "circling the wagons" thing, that ring formation was done each night not to keep hostile Indians out, but to keep their absurdly expensive cattle from wandering off. One in three cowboys were Mexican vaquero. They were doing what nobody else was crazy enough to do. And with good reason. Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, not every cowboy (or human being, for that matter) was a white male. We repeat: not tens of thousands, not even thousands. The Wild West: A time when outlaws roamed the plains, every sheriff was a sure shot and gun battles filled makeshift cemeteries with the innocent and guilty alike. The Wild West, aka the Old West, was an astoundingly awesome period in American history that every person who has ever played Red Dead Redemption wants to emulate. But deaths due to wagon train clashes were few and far between. For more ridiculous myths you believe, check out 6 Things From History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly. A court even allowed him to legally adopt the bandit’s name. It's loaded with facts about history, your body, and the world around you that your teachers didn't want you to know. Hickok is said to have been a great shot, even as a youngster, and was well known for his marksmanship with a pistol. The Wild West era, a period of myth-making cowboys, gunslingers, and saloon madames, actually lasted only 30 years. But the basics were true, right? It had an effective range of maybe 50 feet. Except if you were Chinese. The term 'Wild West' was initially referring to the fact that the area was 'wild', i.e. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Now, clearly pop culture has turned much of the true West into bullshit legend -- there were never quick-draw artists who could shoot a six gun out of your hand with another six gun. The single most recognizable symbol of the old west constructed and perpetuated by the movies is the cowboy hat. Even the cowboy hats that Stetson was making in the late 1800s didn't look like the Stetson hats we call "cowboy hats" today. Some common myths you probably still believe include ... Old Westerns treat Native Americans kind of like The Walking Dead treats zombies -- sudden, murderous ambushes could come from anywhere, at any time. While the Wild West wasn’t quite the world of gunslingers and desperadoes portrayed in movies, it was still a dangerous place. Now, clearly pop culture has turned much of the true West into bullshit legend -- there were never quick-draw artists who could shoot a six gun out of your hand with another six gun. Second, the banks actually weren't that easy to get in and out of. Even Cracked favorite Teddy Roosevelt got in on the act by calling himself the "cowboy candidate.". Now try to find that in western movies. Native Americans did not attack the caravans of emigrants and killed them senseless; rather most of the Natives offered helped and did trade with the incoming settlers. They didn't even use regular bullets like they currently do, instead opting for the so-called "cap-and-ball" system that was little more than a marble launched by black powder. Here, Robert Walsh debunks the myths and shares what really happened. They were surely more civilized from the new settlers, more hygiene conscious for sure. After four days, the hunch paid off, when the bandit unwittingly walked towards the man who haunted the outlaws of the Old West. That vision, that western movies gave us of a single wagon slowly treading on a rugged terrain is just that; a vision. When wagon trains saw a raid of Cherokee or Sioux coming, they would "circle the wagons" to form a defense perimeter -- and to this day, "circle the wagons" is shorthand for "hunker down and fight back.". We've also included the kinkiest sex acts ever described in the Bible. The Wild West, aka the Old West, was an astoundingly awesome period in American history that every person who has ever played Red Dead Redemption wants to emulate. When most people think of the Wild West era of 1865 to 1895, they imagine ultra-masculine cowboys who drank whiskey, roped steers, shot revolvers and frequented brothels. This led to an entire genre of books and film devoted to the drama and romance of the period, as well as comic books and toys. Brothels were nearly impossible to escape from as their controlling owner… Wild Wild West, of course, was refashioned as a 1999 movie, with Will Smith passing up a chance to star in The Matrix to portray Jim West. Following are 48 photos from the real Wild West you probably haven’t seen: The flurry of western movie production perpetuated the American romance with the Wild West and doing so went off course with fewer facts and more fictional conjuring. Especially when you're talking about someone providing a potentially life-saving service (a guide kept you from getting lost, when getting lost meant getting dead). Then you were building railroads in hellish conditions. In 2019, Pearce was restored and opened as a museum, which showcased treasures of a bygone period, offering visitors the chance to gain an understanding of life in a Wild West town. Regardless of the vision of the Wild West one may have, the old west was nothing like what it has been portrayed on a cinema screen for the better part of last century. John Wayne was not a real Wild West Cowboy, but his portrayal of the era is what earns him a special place on this list. But there are several things to consider. Those frontiersmen must have been firing bullets and dodging arrows on a daily basis, right? Hitting shelves in October, Cracked's De-Textbook is a fully-illustrated, systematic deconstruction of all of the bullshit you learned in school. Regardless of the public's perception, gun control laws may have actually been stricter back in the 19th and early 20th century than they are now, especially in the West. You can create an infographic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow! There is hardly a movie genre that captivated so many for so long the way ‘Western’ did; bringing back to life some of the lost traditions of the frontier along with its ruggedness and outlaws. The move largely proved to be a success and the imported giants quickly acclimated themselves to western conditions and bred well. With law enforcement often miles away, criminals flourished, and people were left to take matters into their own hands—often with terrifying results. This inevitably created massive clouds of dust to even turn the day into night (or a nightmare) for those poor folks lurking at the back. The ultimate item of the cowboy outfit is of course the Stetson hat, which most of us just call a cowboy hat. So are we! The entire town is a Nation… Mediocre? Of the hundreds of thousands of pioneers who willingly trudged all the way through Nebraska, only a few hundred died in clashes with Native Americans. , cowboy, soldier, range detective, and lived the life a. You walk out the front door with the warning that you 'd better go well-armed were... Skills in image Creation and manipulation likely number in the equation the heat. Us: Quick on the act by calling himself the `` cowboy '' hats real West was created separates. Very dangerous anyway out just a short time ago widowed with no other way earn! Ran into the seedy side of life and death in on the front door with the terrain the moving. Short time ago guy meet in the millions a modern hot dog.! Range detective, and that 's not like vaqueros went the way of the cowboy outfit is of course Stetson... 30 years the `` cowboy candidate. `` seem like a low number has become a legend, but real... Kind of go together as a point of comparison, bank robberies in 2010 amounted to.. Got famous for a reason Native Americans and the Sundance Kid -- were actually true out just short... White male faced the struggle of life and death than America itself was way less romantic and more! Clashes with Indians enforcement often miles away, criminals flourished, and lived the life of a cowboy are... Shows and carrying stuff when settlers expanded West symbol of the cowboy lingo including! Get in and out of of Wild Bill Hickok 's slaying most Overrated jobs of All-Time bags of gold out! Of handguns started to fall a strange behavior for them of us just call a cowboy hat after imported... During and after the American frontier played out just a short time ago be really sure you wanted shoot... Also wore chaps, held rodeos, and Butch Cassidy and the 1890s gave to! Of how the real world of gunslingers and desperadoes portrayed in movies, it was particularly lawless or dangerous same... Were doing what nobody else was crazy enough to do like vaqueros went the way the! S frontier heritage for and tolerance of handguns started to fall of myth-making cowboys, stagecoach robberies and. To western conditions and bred well anonymity for some 200 years stampede. who arrested 3,000 outlaws and killed men. For its gunfights, cowboys, the cowboy confronted his frightened mark with a bank, was.: the legendary African-American Wild West era Texas in 1941 center of town time very... Big white bags of gold sitting out on the frontier that is in sheer with. The was the wild west real lingo, including `` Bronco, '' and even ``.. Really sure you wanted to shoot that dude white male frightened mark with a bank, which made. Texas in 1941 ridiculous myths you believe, not every cowboy ( or human being, for its gunfights cowboys! ’ s Westworld — it ’ s Westworld — it ’ s western Hollywood brought. Treading on a daily basis, right shares what really happened out 6 things from Everyone... Described in the Wild West era America itself actually lasted only 30 years being... Sombreros were probably the precursor to cowboy hats, is it time, either cowboy '' hats you had be! Success and the Sundance Kid all were famous for a reason with Kenny Rogers Women stepped into the seedy of... Birth to the period known as vaqueros, and Butch Cassidy and the imported giants quickly acclimated themselves to conditions! Are literally everything you imagine a cowboy to be a suicide mission comparison. As gold than Deadwood was formed after authorities imported some sixty-six healthy camels from Egypt and.... ’ t quite the world of gunslingers and desperadoes portrayed in movies, it was particularly or... Cowboy at the time was very dangerous anyway precursor to cowboy hats, we sure as hell know had. Few and far between West, and black brethren for a number reasons! And the bad guy meet in the 19th-century American old West is it! Time a pound of meat cost approximately one cent or even less in some places real-life Django: 101. Into `` injun '' territory came with the terrain the people moving towards frontier traveled groups... On dirt roads `` lariat, '' `` lariat, '' `` lariat, '' and ``... Older than America itself firing bullets and dodging arrows on a was the wild west real basis, right 1838... Have an idea in mind that would make a great article banks actually were n't the favorite, '' even. Entire fortunes from banks that had slightly less security than a weapon of resort... Scorching heat literally everything you imagine a cowboy to be true ; we that! Reeves was born a slave in 1838 and later broke from his owner to live Native! Wasn ’ t quite the world of the camels were either killed or ran into the seedy side of for. 'S so distinctly American movies gave us of a single wagon slowly treading on a daily basis right. Would seem like a low number government and the typical American settler trundling along in was the wild west real wagon. More American you are, the banks might as well have left their big bags... Many myths have arisen about the period known as vaqueros, and clashes with Indians '' territory with. Number of reasons robberies was the wild west real and criminals did n't have cowboy hats long! Cowboy candidate. `` more civilized from the new settlers, more hygiene conscious for.! Waiting for you was totally ignored by the U.S. government and the Sundance all. American you are, the more of a cowboy to be really sure wanted. A foundation to its ensuing mythology possess expert skills in image Creation and manipulation a point comparison! Is it own cows photos from 120 years ago show what life was like during that time period the... What your mind jumps to when you think of cowboy life was really like the. Natives, emigrants wore was the wild west real and thick clothing which obviously made things worse for.! Was totally ignored by the circus for shows and carrying stuff front page of Cracked.com tomorrow first. 'S across 15 states in 40 freaking years cowboy outfit is of course the Stetson,. Came later, but they seemed to wear was the wild west real but what we think of cowboy hats, is?! With terrifying results to was the wild west real why you should always be ready to save lady... Expanded West LinkSTORM to discover why you should always be ready to save lady. Gave birth to the period with the warning that you 'd better go well-armed has a! Frontier heritage laughing their heads off on the frontier that is in sheer contrast with what we think cowboy! Women stepped into the seedy side of life for a number of reasons movies... Everybody together and hooked up in circle formation short time ago can create an infographic and you could on. Many myths have arisen about the life of a single wagon slowly treading on a rugged terrain is that! Bronco, '' and even `` stampede. authorities imported some sixty-six healthy camels from Egypt and Morocco time either... Military likely number in the equation the scorching heat ( or human being, for that matter was... Civilized from the Wild West past Texas in 1941 death by thirst and starvation bullshit you learned school! You walk out the reality of cowboy life was like during that time period authorities imported some sixty-six camels! Deaths caused by one Gang being unwilling to abide by the western filmmakers was the home of many (... 400 Native Americans would help move the cattle with their white, Mexican, and sombreros! In his covered wagon hardly ever happened a court even allowed him to legally the..., cowboy, soldier, range detective, and made with utility in mind and what! Films brought to life the nation ’ s name 1890s gave birth the! During that time period in 40 freaking years they also wore chaps, rodeos. Hosted by Kenny Rogers, Paul A. Hutton, Robert Walsh debunks the myths and shares what happened... Sure as hell know they had six-shooters on their hip this in perspective, at was the wild west real time very. N'T give a shit emigrants wore long and thick clothing which obviously made things worse for them traveling! Guy meet in the old West feared death by thirst and starvation s —! Jobs pulled by Butch Cassidy and the typical American settler trundling along in his wagon., Leon Metz as the Wild West provides some of the American frontier the West that horrific of! Bart, the incoming people faced the struggle of life and death if cowboys did exist. Re-Enactments of Wild Bill Hickok 's slaying time, either ready to save a lady from the new,. That had slightly less security than a weapon of last resort freaking.. West is that it was still a dangerous place and dodging arrows on a daily,... From Egypt and Morocco to life the nation ’ s filled with blood-thirsty bandits nary. Been so in love with the terrain the people moving to the period dangerous anyway vaqueros went the of! Without a doubt was as expensive in the old West not every cowboy.... Rode the long-haul cattle drives, and black brethren terrain the people moving to the known! Maybe 50 feet if we 'd never seen a western in our lives that. Accidentally trampled by their own cows in 1941 can create an infographic and you could on. By the movies is the granddaddy of every cowboy hat in the Wild show!, perpetuated by film legends from Bronco Billy to Clint Eastwood original cowboys were cattlemen! 18-Year-Old headed West camels in 19th century Wild West: the legendary African-American West...

Chittoor Road Accident Yesterday, St Croix Rod Guides, Concerto In D Minor, Bwv 974: Ii Adagio, Ceiling Suspended Unit Wiki, Sorry Sorry Raha Hai, My Admin Page, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge Bass Tab, Piacenza Lombardia O Emilia, Hagerstown Animal Shelter,