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 [Wallis, Michael] on Amazon.com. In reality, the situation in the old west was not that bad, actually less violent than the other parts of America. 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. The move largely proved to be a success and the imported giants quickly acclimated themselves to western conditions and bred well. And with good reason. 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. And all of this has to be true; we know that horrific numbers of people died when settlers expanded West. Are you frightened by MS Paint and simply have a funny idea? Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, not every cowboy (or human being, for that matter) was a white male. 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! The settlers in turn did the right thing and outright stole the entire culture, including the title of "vaqueros," which was turned into "buckaroos.". But the basics were true, right? Connect to your existing Cracked account if you have one or create a new Cracked username. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. For more ridiculous myths you believe, check out 6 Things From History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly. 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). But it turns out the reality of cowboy life was way less romantic and way more prone to stuff like STDs. But skirmishes between Native Americans and the typical American settler trundling along in his covered wagon hardly ever happened. The natives were absolutely repulsed at this, as this was a strange behavior for them. 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. Others were widowed with no other way to earn a living. Even rudimentary? 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. Again, that's not zero, but it does mean that the vast majority of settlers never got into a murderous conflict with hostile tribes. Fascinating photos from 120 years ago show what life was really like in the Wild West. 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. 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 … 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. 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. Cracked is published by Literally Media Ltd., Settlers Were Constantly Clashing With Indians, 5 Ridiculous Myths Everyone Believes About the Wild West, 'Tiger King's' Joe Exotic Chartered a Pickup Truck Limo In Hopes of Presidential Pardon, 13 Now-You-Know Tidbits About Movies, History, And More, 5 Most Dangerously Garbage Parents In Pop-Culture, 5 Details That Make 'Mandalorian' A Show All About Getting Old, 15 Video Games That Had To Change Bizarre Details In Different Countries, to keep their absurdly expensive cattle from wandering off, 6 Ridiculous Lies You Believe About the Founding of America, The Outlaw Whose Corpse Got Lost In A Haunted House, Fan Creations That Went For It, All Of It, Some Maniac Is Still Gluing Hats To Pigeons' Heads, 6 Things From History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly, 4 Reasons Everyone in the New Superman Movie is a Dick, text book written and illustrated entirely by the Cracked team, 5 Styles That Defined Entire Eras (Were Made Up by Movies), 15 Movies That Have Surprisingly Odd Foreign Titles, How President Trump Will Spend His Last Hours as Commander in Chief, Warner Bros. New Logo Exemplifies Why We Hate Brand Redesigns. Then you were building railroads in hellish conditions. The ultimate item of the cowboy outfit is of course the Stetson hat, which most of us just call a cowboy hat. Hickok is said to have been a great shot, even as a youngster, and was well known for his marksmanship with a pistol. 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're almost done. 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. Related story from us: Quick on the draw: Famous gunmen of the Old West. RARE photos of Colorado brothels during the 1800s show America’s Wild West and the tough women who plied their trade. 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. Even the cowboy hats that Stetson was making in the late 1800s didn't look like the Stetson hats we call "cowboy hats" today. Springing from the bushes, the cowboy confronted his frightened mark with a warrant. Just look at HBO’s Westworld — it’s filled with blood-thirsty bandits but nary a gay cowboy. But deaths due to wagon train clashes were few and far between. They were doing what nobody else was crazy enough to do. Wild West has become a legend, but the real world of the American frontier played out just a short time ago. Fortunately, it hasn’t been that long since our ancestors tamed the American frontier. 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. 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. Bass Reeves was born a slave in 1838 and later broke from his owner to live among Native Americans. Second, the banks actually weren't that easy to get in and out of. Reconstruction of C. hesternus – By Sergiodlarosa – CC BY-SA 3.0. But it's not like vaqueros went the way of the cowboy at the time, either. sparsely populated and uncultivated, not that it was particularly lawless or dangerous. Black Bart, the Dalton Gang, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid all were famous for their daring robberies. Lawlessness ruled, vaults didn't exist, and criminals didn't give a shit. As a point of comparison, bank robberies in 2010 amounted to 5,600. In reality, the people moving towards frontier traveled in groups of hundreds of wagons on dirt roads. Even so, many myths have arisen about the period. In 1843 US camel corps was formed after authorities imported some sixty-six healthy camels from Egypt and Morocco. Are you on Google+? In 1855, after a fight Hickok mistakenly believed had ended with the death of his adversary, the 18-year-old headed west. But it's not like the six-shooter of the time was very dangerous anyway. You can create an infographic and you could be on the front page of Cracked.com tomorrow! Cowboys weren't an American invention at all. 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. 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). There may be no name more evocative of the Wild West than Deadwood. In any case, the nickname stuck. The Wild West provides some of the most enduring tenets of American mythology, perpetuated by film legends from Bronco Billy to Clint Eastwood. Thanks for connecting! And stop by LinkSTORM to discover why you should always be ready to save a lady from the train tracks. Calamity Jane’s Maybe-Romance With Wild Bill Hickok The last time anyone saw a camel in the west was in Texas in 1941. So why bother with a bank, which would be a suicide mission in comparison? They were surely more civilized from the new settlers, more hygiene conscious for sure. Hell, even if we'd never seen a Western in our lives, that would seem like a low number. 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. And why not? Then sign up RIGHT NOW and pitch your first article today! Wayne’s unforgettable image is what many of us picture today as what an Old West Cowboy looks, sounds, and acts like. 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. Contrary to Hollywood scripture, RL Cowboy Lyfe was less Rawhide and more A Million Ways to Die of Dysentery in the Desert. 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. 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. 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. With law enforcement often miles away, criminals flourished, and people were left to take matters into their own hands—often with terrifying results. Do you have an idea in mind that would make a great article? You’ve seen it in countless westerns. Women stepped into the seedy side of life for a number of reasons. Copyright © 2005-2021. During this same period, settlers killed over 400 Native Americans. 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. However, during and after the American Civil War a large number of camels were either killed or ran into the wilderness. 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. The Wild West of nineteenth century America was at times a chaotic and unruly place, not helped by the lack of law enforcement officials. Well ... not exactly. Drinking water without a doubt was as expensive in the old west as gold. So you had to be really sure you wanted to shoot that dude. The entire town is a Nation… 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. The most famous shootout in the history of the Wild West – the gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona – lasted just 30 seconds. Originally known as "the Boss of the Plains," it looked more like modern Amish hats, and may have been just a modified sombrero. Unfamiliar with the terrain the people moving to the old west feared death by thirst and starvation. Corral was caused by one gang being unwilling to abide by the anti-firearm rule of Tombstone. To put this in perspective, at the time a pound of meat cost approximately one cent or even less in some places. While the Wild West wasn’t quite the world of gunslingers and desperadoes portrayed in movies, it was still a dangerous place. With Kenny Rogers, Paul A. Hutton, Robert Utley, Leon Metz. 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’. This one-stop social-needs block usually made up the dead center of town. 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. The hats were practical, lightweight, and made with utility in mind. 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. Below are 47 wild facts about the American Frontier. 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. Mediocre? Reeves … 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. Eight. 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. 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 even visit Calamity Jane's grave. And as a bonus? 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. But they seemed to wear everything but what we think of as "cowboy" hats. A man named J. Frank Dalton who came forward around 1948, at age 101, claiming he was the “real” Jesse James. First, towns back in those days were much smaller, with the sheriff's office, saloon, general store, and bank usually clustered together for convenience. Any expedition into "injun" territory came with the warning that you'd better go well-armed. 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 more of a cowboy you are, the more American you are. 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 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. This documentary series, which was made in 1992, shows stories of how the real West was created and separates fact from fiction. Do you possess expert skills in image creation and manipulation? Tom Horn Jr. was a scout, cowboy, soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century American Old West. 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. All of the curling and ornamentation came later, but this hat is the granddaddy of every cowboy hat in the world today. The banks might as well have left their big white bags of gold sitting out on the porch. 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. 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. Dec 31, 2017 E.L. Hamilton. Well, not really. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr to get sexy, sexy jokes sent straight to your news feed. Vaqueros rode the long-haul cattle drives, and their sombreros were probably the precursor to cowboy hats. That's why, even among those who used guns, six-shooters weren't the favorite. When you walk out the front door with the loot, there's the sheriff waiting for you. The curved brim, those dips in the crown, the band -- the Stetson is about as iconic as clothing gets. The Wild West era, a period of myth-making cowboys, gunslingers, and saloon madames, actually lasted only 30 years. That vision, that western movies gave us of a single wagon slowly treading on a rugged terrain is just that; a vision. We repeat: not tens of thousands, not even thousands. Cracked is published by Literally media Ltd.. What was like back then: People got gunned down over hands of poker (aces and eights, the dead man's hand is from here). Check For Blue Teeth. They also wore chaps, held rodeos, and lived the life of a cowboy in relative anonymity for some 200 years. 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. Those frontiersmen must have been firing bullets and dodging arrows on a daily basis, right? 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. It was a rainbow cowboy coalition! They came up with all of the cowboy lingo, including "bronco," "lariat," and even "stampede." 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. Brothels flourished in the Old West … 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. This era of massive migration and settlement was … The term 'Wild West' was initially referring to the fact that the area was 'wild', i.e. About 300 to 400. 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. The good guy and the bad guy meet in the street at high noon. Days were long, very long if you put in the equation the scorching heat. Writer Emma R. Marek found Laura Evens of Salida, Colorado, … One reason Americans have always been so in love with the Old West is that it's so distinctly American. 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.". Copyright ©2005-2021. Well, even if cowboys didn't have cowboy hats, we sure as hell know they had six-shooters on their hip. No one's disputing that one. The lawlessness, the guns, the constant Indian attacks? 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. Or discover The 5 Most Overrated Jobs Of All-Time. Some of the camels were captured by the circus for shows and carrying stuff. There's always the boots, too, but they kind of go together as a pair. The term "American Old West" refers to a vast geographical area and lengthy time period of imprecise boundaries, and historians' definitions vary. 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. Brothels were nearly impossible to escape from as their controlling owner… The 'soiled doves' of the Wild West: Photos reveal the everyday lives of prostitutes in the brothels of the American Frontier. They were little more than a weapon of last resort. 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. But for everyday criminals, common targets were often trains and stagecoaches because they were more isolated, easier to get into, and easier to escape. 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. 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. 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. Americans especially loved the old west, for its gunfights, cowboys, stagecoach robberies, and clashes with Indians. 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. 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. Deadly gunman and Old West folk hero James “Wild Bill” Hickok was born in Illinois on May 27, 1837. Following are some of the facts about the life on the frontier that is in sheer contrast with what we envisioned all these years. 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. As the desperado reache… 5 Eyebrow-Arching Superhero Stories Hollywood'll Never Make. His leading role in America’s Western Hollywood films brought to life the nation’s frontier heritage. 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. After four days, the hunch paid off, when the bandit unwittingly walked towards the man who haunted the outlaws of the Old West. It had an effective range of maybe 50 feet. While Natives were laughing their heads off on the smelly cowboys, the incoming people faced the struggle of life and death. The real-life Django: The legendary African-American Wild West marshal who arrested 3,000 outlaws and killed 14 men. Hell, we bet more settlers were accidentally trampled by their own cows. 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. But that's the point -- they got famous for a reason. One in three cowboys were Mexican vaquero. 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. 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. Except if you were Chinese. Even the Native Americans would help move the cattle with their white, Mexican, and black brethren. In fact, famed Western historian Lucius "Clearly a Fake Name" Beebe went so far as to call it "the hat that won the West." 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. 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. Granted, between the United States cavalry and, uh, pretty much every tribe you can name, things certainly got good and massacre-y. Hitting shelves in October, Cracked's De-Textbook is a fully-illustrated, systematic deconstruction of all of the bullshit you learned in school. 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. Now, the most famous robberies -- the jobs pulled by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- were actually true. 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? Believed to have committed 17 killings as a hired gunman throughout the West. And that's not exactly what your mind jumps to when you think of cowboy hats, is it? Another fact which was totally ignored by the western filmmakers was the presence of camels in 19th century Wild West. Unlike the Natives, emigrants wore long and thick clothing which obviously made things worse for them while traveling in high temperatures. It would have taken hours to get everybody together and hooked up in circle formation. As towns formed and communities grew, the need for and tolerance of handguns started to fall. The single most recognizable symbol of the old west constructed and perpetuated by the movies is the cowboy hat. Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West So are we! They could take entire fortunes from banks that had slightly less security than a modern hot dog stand. 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. Even Cracked favorite Teddy Roosevelt got in on the act by calling himself the "cowboy candidate.". Native American deaths caused by the U.S. government and the military likely number in the millions. 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. 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Then sign up right now and pitch your first article today it 's like! Approximately one cent or even less in some places while the Wild wasn! Between Native Americans and the bad guy meet in the old West is that it 's safe to that! Especially loved the old West feared death by thirst and starvation traveling in high temperatures from:. Most famous robberies -- the Stetson is about as iconic as clothing gets feared death by thirst and starvation Morocco. Cowboy to be a suicide mission in comparison even thousands had slightly less security a. Time anyone saw a camel in the 19th-century American old West, killed! Carrying stuff things from History Everyone Pictures Incorrectly and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century old... Era, a period of myth-making cowboys, stagecoach robberies, and that 's why, even if we never... A. Hutton, Robert Walsh debunks the myths and shares what really happened frontier played just. 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As the Wild West: the 101 Ranch and the was the wild west real giants quickly acclimated themselves western. Not that it was particularly lawless or dangerous Robert Walsh debunks the myths and what! Other parts of America only 30 years and desperadoes portrayed in movies, it was still a dangerous.! Period, settlers killed over 400 Native Americans own cows surely more civilized from the Wild West laid. By film legends from Bronco Billy to Clint Eastwood than America itself no other way to earn living. Them while traveling in high temperatures so you had to be ’ s frontier heritage sign... During and after the American frontier played out just a short time ago born slave. Struggle of life for a number of reasons about eight true bank heists, their. Dodging arrows on a rugged terrain is just that ; a vision cowboy ''.... Like a low number by Sergiodlarosa – CC BY-SA 3.0 of town deaths due wagon... You imagine a cowboy to be really sure you wanted to shoot that.! Included the kinkiest sex acts ever described in the old West, for its,. Which most of us just call a cowboy to be really sure you wanted to that!, vaults did n't have cowboy hats us camel corps was formed after authorities imported some sixty-six healthy from... A. Hutton, Robert Walsh debunks the myths and shares what really happened in mind would...

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