In their early days, rowdy cattle towns such as Dodge City, Tombstone and Ellsworth were violent places where the likes of the Dalton Gang, Jesse James and Billy the Kid settled scores with a bullet. Following are some of the facts about the life on the frontier that is in sheer contrast with what we envisioned all these years. If anywhere was ruled by the gun in the popular imagination, it was the frontier West. The Wild West was the home of many colorful (often disreputable) characters. Pop culture would also have us believe that gunmen wore customized gunbelts and holsters, the standard ‘gunfighter’s rig’. Samuel Colt’s ‘Peacemaker’ revolver was accurate, powerful and instantly outdated other revolvers by being the first to use all-inclusive metal cartridges. However, the truth behind the infamous fight is that it didn’t take place in the OK Corral at all and was instead carried out in the definitely-less-glamorous vacant lot behind it. That they did so is due, in no small part, to Sacagawea, wife of a French trapper, who guided them across the Rocky Mountains. Meanwhile, Dodge City relocated and revamped its ‘Boot Hill’ cemetery (well used in 1876–78 but mothballed thereafter) as a tourist lure in 1930 complete with imitation tombstones and ‘gallows’ cottonwood tree. Another fact which was totally ignored by the western filmmakers was the presence of camels in 19th century Wild West. So much so that she was soon emerging as something of a regional celebrity – portrayed as the buckskin-clad ‘wild woman’ in books such as HF McDanield’s The Coming Empire (1878), or starring opposite ‘Deadwood Dick’ in a series of dime novels from prolific pulp writer Edward Wheeler. As Mark Twain noted in his western travelogue Roughing It (1872), an attack of the ‘gold fever’ was a serious affliction and one that often came with disappointment. If gunfighters are so badly misrepresented in the modern world then they are also to blame. As the satirist concluded: “All that glitters is not gold.”. Bounty hunters of the time were sometimes referred to as ‘bounty killers’ because, to them, fugitives were worth the same alive or dead. The life and adventures of Calamity Jane, pistol-packing ‘wild woman’ of the American West, offers a perfect example of the frontier as a landscape of folklore and fable where history, legend and story merged seamlessly together. What is less well known, however, is that Calamity Jane was a historical character and one scarcely recognisable from Doris Day’s portrayal. It was true that many developed a proclivity for drinking coffee, eating beans and carousing in saloons, but cowboys were often malnourished, living a lonesome existence. The untamed territories were noted for their lawlessness, which gave rise to wild, rowdy, unrestrained, disorderly, and unruly behavior—which is what made for such great stories in print and on screen. Men of dubious reputations weren’t everybody’s first choice as law enforcers, but then they were often the only men available to do the job. http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/gunslinger_or_gun_slinger/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHt6i5Wi02s, http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-outlaws.html, http://www.historynet.com/wild-west-outlaws-and-lawmen, http://www.elpasotimes.com/125/ci_3767809, http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-BatMasterson5.html, http://www.modernmythmuseum.com/m%20saga%203%2055%20holliday.html, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok#mediaviewer/File:Wild_Bill.jpg. People in search of gold migrated to the west in large numbers, especially during the California Gold Rush. In fact, they were considered a serious profession with the best players being initiated as professional sportsmen. Many of the first migrants were men searching for gold but whole families migrating to Oregon would leave abruptly. The OK Corral gunfight is probably the most famous shootout in Wild West history. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions. Some might argue they did not discover anything that American Indians or British fur traders had not already seen. There seems to be a problem, please try again. Also almost non-existent was the idea of two fighters walking out into a street, facing each other and then fighting a ‘quick draw’ duel. 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. Failed bandit Elmer McCurdy’s corpse had a more interesting life than the man did. Actual gunfights in the Old West were more episodic than being a common thing, but when gunfights did occur, the cause for each varied. Works Cited “American Experience: Newspaper Accounts.” PBS. In fact, the clean-cut cowboys portrayed by actors such as John Wayne are a far cry from what cowboys were truly like or how they really lived. The last time anyone saw a camel in the west was in Texas in 1941. As the first Americans to ‘go west’, their achievement was to fire the national imagination. (1913). So townsfolk often turned to whoever was prepared to do the job, often hiring gunfighters based on their fearsome reputation rather than their regard for the law. They didn’t. P- The purpose of this image is to depict the commonly portrayed Wild West atmosphere as a reality. Those who farmed the land suffered the exigencies of market prices, lack of water, inclement weather, wildfires, pests and the drudgery of loneliness. Some did strike it lucky, finding glistening nuggets in riverbeds that were easily accessible by mining with pan, pick and shovel. The move largely proved to be a success and the imported giants quickly acclimated themselves to western conditions and bred well. Efficiently cast, he played three roles: tenderfoot dancer, shot passenger, and most memorably, bandit. what people believe Old West life was like, historic American westerners really experienced. Here, Robert Walsh debunks the myths and shares what really happened. 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. Most only worked for a season. In films they draw one or two pistols, empty them without seeming to aim and, naturally, kill every opponent without missing or accidentally shooting anybody else. The Wild West would be a very different place in the public consciousness without John Wayne. These require the user to fill each individual chamber with gunpowder, add a lead pistol ball and some wadding, ram the ball, powder and wadding into each chamber using a lever under the barrel and then fit a percussion cap over each chamber. Why did France Never have a Queen as Ruler? Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp were wounded, but Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were unharmed. The ‘Peacemaker’ could be reloaded simply by shaking out the spent metal cartridges and replacing them. Racial conflict proved a common feature of the camps, with Chinese miners (as well as American Indians and Mexicans) singled out for attack in the shape of anti-foreign taxes and mob violence. Unlike the Natives, emigrants wore long and thick clothing which obviously made things worse for them while traveling in high temperatures. The image is indelible: A lonely cowboy clopping across the plains. When picturing the Wild West, one may imagine gun-slinging bandits, Native American ambushes, and sharp shooting cowboys running rampant throughout the towns. In reality, life in the Old West played out far differently than the stereotypical settings seen in many classic Spaghetti Westerns. Gunfights like those in the ‘Spaghetti Westerns’ directed by Sergio Leone are wonderful viewing, but bear almost no relation to reality. In reality, most gunmen favored the ‘coach gun’ (a short-barreled shotgun used by stagecoach guards, hence the phrase ‘riding shotgun’) or rifles like the 1873 Winchester. Being town marshal hadn’t stopped Courtright from trying to extort Short. Wyatt Earp earned his status as righteous lawman in large part due to Stuart Lake’s effusive biography Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshall (1931) as well as the film Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957). Major population increases were influenced by the1849 gold rush, Oregon Trail, and Homestead act. And, certainly, there is some truth to that image. Outlaws could easily evade even the most persistent marshals and sheriffs simply by crossing State lines, putting themselves beyond the legal jurisdiction of their pursuers. The frontier area west of the Mississippi River during the late 1800s included the territories of Dakota, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Colorado. You will shortly receive a receipt for your purchase via email. In a fitting footnote to amalgamated U.S. history, Bronco Billy was born Maxwell Henry Aronson, the son of German and Russian Jews. I- This image would also be intended for Easterners and Europeans, however Sitting Bull may also be intended for U.S. political figures due to his importance in the Indian culture. PBS, n.d. According to nearly every Western ever made, the Wild West was just that—wild. Gunfighter Dallas Stoudenmire (employed as town marshal at the time) used his two pistols to kill four men, three of whom had ambushed him. Before watching another Clint Eastwood film filled with Wild West anachronisms, it’s time to shoot down the Old West misconceptions the silver screen has conveyed and learn some crazy, true Wild West facts. Wild West (Myth of the West) Beliefs: The myth of the Wild West is comes from the romanticization of ranching and gold-mining, two common occupations for those living in the great plains region or in California ear the coast. Billy the Kid always preferred a Winchester rifle. Unfortunately the fourth was an innocent bystander already running for cover when the shooting started. “5 Ridiculous Myths Everyone Believes About the Wild West.” Corral—lasted only 30 seconds and didn’t take place at the O.K.