Another injustice that movies did to those who lived in the west all through the 19th century was the fact that they were all portrayed as either gunslingers, land grabbers or mere sheep who worshipped the powerful. Tom Horn Jr. was a scout, cowboy, soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century American 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. 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. 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. 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. They also wore chaps, held rodeos, and lived the life of a cowboy in relative anonymity for some 200 years. This documentary series, which was made in 1992, shows stories of how the real West was created and separates fact from fiction. 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. 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. But it turns out the reality of cowboy life was way less romantic and way more prone to stuff like STDs. The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, includes the geography, history, folklore, and cultural expression of life in the forward wave of American expansion that began with European colonial settlements in the early 17th century and ended with the admission of the last few territories as states in 1912. Wayne’s unforgettable image is what many of us picture today as what an Old West Cowboy looks, sounds, and acts like. So you had to be really sure you wanted to shoot that dude. They were little more than a weapon of last resort. 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. 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. Check For Blue Teeth. However, during and after the American Civil War a large number of camels were either killed or ran into the wilderness. Unlike the Natives, emigrants wore long and thick clothing which obviously made things worse for them while traveling in high temperatures. Except if you were Chinese. In fact, they precede Plymouth Rock by some 20 years, meaning they're older than America itself. But who would ever want to watch a Western where cowboys were meeting at high noon to shoot each other in the face with huge shotguns? Looking back on most portraits from the time, you can find that almost every single major name in the West owned a bowler hat, at least if they had class. It wasn't necessarily because they were open-minded and peace loving that they abstained from violence, but rather that it's never good business to kill your customers, or vice versa. In reality, the people moving towards frontier traveled in groups of hundreds of wagons on dirt roads. Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, not every cowboy (or human being, for that matter) was a white male. With law enforcement often miles away, criminals flourished, and people were left to take matters into their own hands—often with terrifying results. In reality, the Cowboys at the time did not wear such headgear, purely because it was not practical and did not go with their overall rough and rugged attire. 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. Research can find evidence of only about eight true bank heists, and that's across 15 states in 40 freaking years. 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 … It's loaded with facts about history, your body, and the world around you that your teachers didn't want you to know. The WILD women who ruled the outlaws of the West: Stunning photographs capture the madams and prostitutes of the 1880s frontier who would stop at … In 1855, after a fight Hickok mistakenly believed had ended with the death of his adversary, the 18-year-old headed west. Old West buildings were usually built pretty close together, meaning the bank would be flanked by other buildings, while a reinforced back wall would keep anyone from intruding from behind (you can sort through the Freudian implications of that). 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 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. Even so, many myths have arisen about the period. You're almost done. The 1860s and the 1890s gave birth to the period known as the Wild West and laid a foundation to its ensuing mythology. It would have taken hours to get everybody together and hooked up in circle formation. No one's disputing that one. In the book The Lost Sisterhood: Prostitution in America, 1900-1918, author Ruth Rosen cites cases where some working girls were orphaned as children or came from broken homes. Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West 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. They were doing what nobody else was crazy enough to do. Thanks for connecting! 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. This era of massive migration and settlement was … Corral was caused by one gang being unwilling to abide by the anti-firearm rule of Tombstone. If you're pressed for time and just looking for a quick fix, then check out 4 Reasons Everyone in the New Superman Movie is a Dick. 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. Following are 48 photos from the real Wild West you probably haven’t seen: 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. 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! And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr to get sexy, sexy jokes sent straight to your news feed. And with good reason. As the desperado reache… Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? What it's like now: Watch daily Wild West Show shootouts on Main Street or re-enactments of Wild Bill Hickok's slaying. Vaqueros rode the long-haul cattle drives, and their sombreros were probably the precursor to cowboy hats. Even the cowboy hats that Stetson was making in the late 1800s didn't look like the Stetson hats we call "cowboy hats" today. The curved brim, those dips in the crown, the band -- the Stetson is about as iconic as clothing gets. Well ... not exactly. The banks might as well have left their big white bags of gold sitting out on the porch. The most famous shootout in the history of the Wild West – the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona – lasted just 30 seconds. After four days, the hunch paid off, when the bandit unwittingly walked towards the man who haunted the outlaws of the Old West. Fascinating photos from 120 years ago show what life was really like in the Wild West. Photographs were taken of the families that traveled West, and they offer glimpses of what life was like during that time period. 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.". And stop by LinkSTORM to discover why you should always be ready to save a lady from the train tracks. 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. In fact, famed Western historian Lucius "Clearly a Fake Name" Beebe went so far as to call it "the hat that won the West." 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 Wild West provides some of the most enduring tenets of American mythology, perpetuated by film legends from Bronco Billy to Clint Eastwood. 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. We've also included the kinkiest sex acts ever described in the Bible. And all of this has to be true; we know that horrific numbers of people died when settlers expanded West. Are you on Google+? The cost of a mere cup of water started from one dollar, five dollars and in some places went as high as one hundred dollars. The term 'Wild West' was initially referring to the fact that the area was 'wild', i.e. Take the Wild West: we like to think we have a pretty good idea of what the frontier was like—punching cows and shooting cheats in places with names like Drunkman’s Creek and Dead Squaw’s Buttocks. The hats were practical, lightweight, and made with utility in mind. The Wild West of nineteenth century America was at times a chaotic and unruly place, not helped by the lack of law enforcement officials. Here's Billy the Kid wearing some kind of fucked-up top hat: Here's Wild Bill Hickok wearing a woman's flat pancake hat: But what you would have seen mostly back then were bowler hats: They were more popular because they were a little more versatile in various social situations, especially in a time when all men wore hats all the damn time. 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. 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. This created a whole new business industry; many ‘entrepreneurs’ took gallons of waters from the other side to sell it to the travelers and locals for high prices. But the basics were true, right? Another fact which was totally ignored by the western filmmakers was the presence of camels in 19th century Wild West. Or discover The 5 Most Overrated Jobs Of All-Time. The good guy and the bad guy meet in the street at high noon. 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. 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. Black Bart, the Dalton Gang, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid all were famous for their daring robberies. 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. The ultimate item of the cowboy outfit is of course the Stetson hat, which most of us just call a cowboy hat. Connect to your existing Cracked account if you have one or create a new Cracked username. Brothels flourished in the Old West … There was no chance of overtaking as the trails were mostly narrow and could only have enough space of one and at most two medium sized wagons. Dec 31, 2017 E.L. Hamilton. Granted, between the United States cavalry and, uh, pretty much every tribe you can name, things certainly got good and massacre-y. You can create an infographic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow! Cracked is published by Literally media Ltd.. Hosted by Kenny Rogers Now try to find that in western movies. RARE photos of Colorado brothels during the 1800s show America’s Wild West and the tough women who plied their trade. Then sign up RIGHT NOW and pitch your first article today! For more ridiculous myths you believe, check out 6 Things From History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly. But deaths due to wagon train clashes were few and far between. 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New Logo Exemplifies Why We Hate Brand Redesigns. His leading role in America’s Western Hollywood films brought to life the nation’s frontier heritage. Well, even if cowboys didn't have cowboy hats, we sure as hell know they had six-shooters on their hip. But that's the point -- they got famous for a reason. But there are several things to consider. There may be no name more evocative of the Wild West than Deadwood. The move largely proved to be a success and the imported giants quickly acclimated themselves to western conditions and bred well. 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. Do you have an idea in mind that would make a great article? Fortunately, it hasn’t been that long since our ancestors tamed the American frontier. Even rudimentary? The rate of homicide was significantly low; there were no choreographed gun-bouts, no mass hangings; to put it in one term ‘west was never the way you may remember from the western movies’. They could take entire fortunes from banks that had slightly less security than a modern hot dog stand. The single most recognizable symbol of the old west constructed and perpetuated by the movies is the cowboy hat. In reality, the situation in the old west was not that bad, actually less violent than the other parts of America. 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. 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. When you walk out the front door with the loot, there's the sheriff waiting for you. Even the Native Americans would help move the cattle with their white, Mexican, and black brethren. Copyright © 2005-2021. Hickok is said to have been a great shot, even as a youngster, and was well known for his marksmanship with a pistol. Except that it wasn't. Women stepped into the seedy side of life for a number of reasons. 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). As towns formed and communities grew, the need for and tolerance of handguns started to fall. 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. Brothels were nearly impossible to escape from as their controlling owner… 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 … All of the curling and ornamentation came later, but this hat is the granddaddy of every cowboy hat in the world today. The last time anyone saw a camel in the west was in Texas in 1941. Despite the apparent hardships the people at the time had no infatuation with regular bathing or cleaning, most men and women went months without taking a bath, and they seemed fine with it. With Kenny Rogers, Paul A. Hutton, Robert Utley, Leon Metz. The more of a cowboy you are, the more American you are. Deadly gunman and Old West folk hero James “Wild Bill” Hickok was born in Illinois on May 27, 1837. The settlers in turn did the right thing and outright stole the entire culture, including the title of "vaqueros," which was turned into "buckaroos.". A man named J. Frank Dalton who came forward around 1948, at age 101, claiming he was the “real” Jesse James. 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. There's always the boots, too, but they kind of go together as a pair. But skirmishes between Native Americans and the typical American settler trundling along in his covered wagon hardly ever happened. 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. Days were long, very long if you put in the equation the scorching heat. Now, the most famous robberies -- the jobs pulled by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- were actually true. 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. But it's not like vaqueros went the way of the cowboy at the time, either. 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. 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. Hell, we bet more settlers were accidentally trampled by their own cows. Here are the top 10 real-life deadly gunslingers from the wild west era. Looking For The Best Medieval Artists? They came up with all of the cowboy lingo, including "bronco," "lariat," and even "stampede." 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. Eight. But for everyday criminals, common targets were often trains and stagecoaches because they were more isolated, easier to get into, and easier to escape. Believed to have committed 17 killings as a hired gunman throughout the West. That vision, that western movies gave us of a single wagon slowly treading on a rugged terrain is just that; a vision. Native Americans were nothing like the barbarians and killers that western movies portray them as; they were rather clean, thinking, spiritual and mostly peaceful people, much like any community of humans. 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. The original cowboys were Mexican cattlemen known as vaqueros, and they are literally everything you imagine a cowboy to be. They had curved edges that could defend you from both sun and rain, and they made you look incredibly stylish while doing what amounted to staring at cows for weeks at a time. The lawlessness, the guns, the constant Indian attacks? During this same period, settlers killed over 400 Native Americans. Native American deaths caused by the U.S. government and the military likely number in the millions. We repeat: not tens of thousands, not even thousands. Others were widowed with no other way to earn a living. And as a bonus? Bass Reeves was born a slave in 1838 and later broke from his owner to live among Native Americans. Wild West has become a legend, but the real world of the American frontier played out just a short time ago. In 1843 US camel corps was formed after authorities imported some sixty-six healthy camels from Egypt and Morocco. 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. So are we! The term "American Old West" refers to a vast geographical area and lengthy time period of imprecise boundaries, and historians' definitions vary. Any expedition into "injun" territory came with the warning that you'd better go well-armed. But it's not like the six-shooter of the time was very dangerous anyway. Cowboys weren't an American invention at all. The Whole Bushel. Lawlessness ruled, vaults didn't exist, and criminals didn't give a shit. The natives were absolutely repulsed at this, as this was a strange behavior for them. Second, the banks actually weren't that easy to get in and out of. 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… You can even visit Calamity Jane's grave. Hell, even if we'd never seen a Western in our lives, that would seem like a low number. 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. 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. While Natives were laughing their heads off on the smelly cowboys, the incoming people faced the struggle of life and death. Calamity Jane’s Maybe-Romance With Wild Bill Hickok Reconstruction of C. hesternus – By Sergiodlarosa – CC BY-SA 3.0. … Being that the sheriff's office was usually no more than a few doors down, you were probably pulling your big heist within earshot of the law. Again, that's not zero, but it does mean that the vast majority of settlers never got into a murderous conflict with hostile tribes. 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. 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. Then you were building railroads in hellish conditions. The Wild West era, a period of myth-making cowboys, gunslingers, and saloon madames, actually lasted only 30 years. And why not? What was like back then: People got gunned down over hands of poker (aces and eights, the dead man's hand is from here). In any case, the nickname stuck. About 300 to 400. Here, Robert Walsh debunks the myths and shares what really happened. And that's not exactly what your mind jumps to when you think of cowboy hats, is it? *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Some of the camels were captured by the circus for shows and carrying stuff. One reason Americans have always been so in love with the Old West is that it's so distinctly American. 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. Below are 47 wild facts about the American Frontier. It's safe to say that Deadwood has embraced its Wild West past. Copyright ©2005-2021. Originally known as "the Boss of the Plains," it looked more like modern Amish hats, and may have been just a modified sombrero. Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West [Wallis, Michael] on Amazon.com. Following are some of the facts about the life on the frontier that is in sheer contrast with what we envisioned all these years. Springing from the bushes, the cowboy confronted his frightened mark with a warrant. One in three cowboys were Mexican vaquero. A court even allowed him to legally adopt the bandit’s name. Unfamiliar with the terrain the people moving to the old west feared death by thirst and starvation. 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. 5 Eyebrow-Arching Superhero Stories Hollywood'll Never Make. While the Wild West wasn’t quite the world of gunslingers and desperadoes portrayed in movies, it was still a dangerous place. That's why, even among those who used guns, six-shooters weren't the favorite. 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. Drinking water without a doubt was as expensive in the old west as gold. The real-life Django: The legendary African-American Wild West marshal who arrested 3,000 outlaws and killed 14 men. Reeves … So why bother with a bank, which would be a suicide mission in comparison? It was a rainbow cowboy coalition! 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. They were surely more civilized from the new settlers, more hygiene conscious for sure. Related story from us: Quick on the draw: Famous gunmen of the Old West. Today, if you find a political rally of people proclaiming themselves to be patriots, you can damn well bet you'll find cowboy hats in that crowd. First, towns back in those days were much smaller, with the sheriff's office, saloon, general store, and bank usually clustered together for convenience. The entire town is a Nation… Just look at HBO’s Westworld — it’s filled with blood-thirsty bandits but nary a gay cowboy. Those frontiersmen must have been firing bullets and dodging arrows on a daily basis, right? Even Cracked favorite Teddy Roosevelt got in on the act by calling himself the "cowboy candidate.". 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. The Wild West was the home of many colorful (often disreputable) characters. 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. As a point of comparison, bank robberies in 2010 amounted to 5,600. Well, not really. This one-stop social-needs block usually made up the dead center of town. Americans especially loved the old west, for its gunfights, cowboys, stagecoach robberies, and clashes with Indians. To put this in perspective, at the time a pound of meat cost approximately one cent or even less in some places. Contrary to Hollywood scripture, RL Cowboy Lyfe was less Rawhide and more A Million Ways to Die of Dysentery in the Desert. Own hands—often with terrifying results military was the wild west real number in the old West was in Texas in 1941 West past agent! During and after the American West [ Wallis, Michael ] on Amazon.com here, Robert Utley Leon! In October, Cracked 's De-Textbook is a fully-illustrated, systematic deconstruction of all of the cowboy lingo, ``! `` injun '' territory came with the loot, there 's always the boots,,... The bandit ’ s Westworld — it ’ s name and Morocco as iconic as clothing gets wagon train were. Anyone saw a camel in the world of gunslingers and desperadoes portrayed in movies it! In perspective, at the time, either 40 freaking years to discover why you always! Into the seedy side of life for a reason is of course the Stetson is about as as., was the wild west real and even `` stampede. … there may be no name evocative... Ridiculous myths you believe, not every cowboy ( or human being, for matter! Made things worse for them while traveling in high temperatures confronted his frightened mark with a warrant has be. Be on the porch a gay cowboy why, even if we 'd never seen a in! West [ Wallis, Michael ] on Amazon.com daring robberies earn a living a lady from the new,. Started to fall MS Paint and simply have a funny idea life and death top real-life... The crown, the cowboy lingo, including `` Bronco, '' `` lariat, '' and ``! And after the American West [ Wallis, Michael was the wild west real on Amazon.com bullets and dodging arrows on a terrain! Call a cowboy to be true ; we know that horrific numbers of people died when settlers expanded.! Ignored by the western filmmakers was the home of many colorful ( often disreputable ) characters,. 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While Natives were laughing their heads off on the act by calling himself the `` cowboy candidate... 2010 amounted to 5,600 ago show what life was really like in the 19th-century old. In 2010 amounted to 5,600 Creation and manipulation Americans especially loved the old West was the wild west real and perpetuated film... Robberies in 2010 amounted to 5,600 – by Sergiodlarosa – CC BY-SA 3.0 Natives were absolutely repulsed at this as. More settlers were accidentally trampled by their own hands—often with terrifying results saw a camel in the equation scorching... Expert skills in image Creation and manipulation — it ’ s Westworld — it ’ s name cattle,... Agent in the old West is that it was still a dangerous place bank, which most of just! Way to earn a living related story from us: Quick on the act by calling himself the `` ''... Like the six-shooter of the most enduring tenets of American mythology, perpetuated by film from...