From Quickdraws to Cowboy Hats

The Wild West genre has led to numerous Hollywood hits and a cultural obsession. However, the reality of cowboys and their antics may be very different from what TV led you to believe. With that in mind, here are 20 things you didn’t know about the Wild West.

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1. It Wasn’t That Wild

When people think of the Wild West, they think of cowboys, gunpowder, unruly gangs, and sheriff showdowns. But in reality, there were plenty of civilized and peaceful places throughout the region where people could exist without worry.

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2. Cowboy Hat

Everyone associates the iconic Stetson cowboy hat with the Wild West, but in reality, it was an unlikely choice for most of the early frontiersmen. In fact, bowler and derby hats were far more popular, and the Stetson was propagated by Hollywood.

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3. O.K. Corral

If you’re a fan of Wild West history, you might be familiar with the famous fight that occurred at the O.K. Corral. However, it never actually happened there, and instead occurred in a vacant lot behind the Corral.

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4. Card Games

Plenty of Wild West movies showcase cowboys sitting around a table and playing card games. But in reality, these cards were way more than games. In fact, gambling games were a profession, and only serious sportsmen would be allowed at the tables.

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5. Camels and Horses

Obviously, when people think of the Wild West, they think of horses. However, in 1885, the Southern United States was actually flooded with feral camels. These animals were brought in from Egypt as army surpluses and quickly grew in numbers thanks to wild breeding.

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6. White Cowboys

Most people wrongly assume that only white men were cowboys, when this really wasn’t the case. Plenty of ethnicities were elevated to cowboy status, one of the most famous being the Lone Ranger, who was inspired by a black U.S. marshal named Bass Reeves.

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7. The Natives

People assume that the natives and the cowboys were always fighting, and while numerous injustices were done, there were plenty of times where the two cohabitated. Some natives were able to make businesses and profit off the settlers, offering guide services and trading goods. Of course, the theft of their land is still devastating, but they weren’t always planning ambushes and raids.

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8. City Limits

You might assume that everyone in the Wild West had to carry a firearm, and that a shootout could happen at any second in the big city. But in reality, cities had very strict firearm policies, and most people couldn’t bring their pieces into the limits.

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9. Ladies of the Night

The Wild West movies would lead you to believe that the ladies of the night lived in poverty and had to scum in saloons. But in actuality, they were some of the wealthiest and most educated women of the era.

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10. Bank Robberies

The movies would also have you think that a bank robbery was very common, and it was only a matter of time until a town was hit. However, only an estimated three or four robberies ever occurred across 15 states within a 40-year timespan.

Now that we have talked about common Wild West misconceptions, here are 10 fun facts worth knowing.

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1. Never Fully Load Your Piece

The revolver cowboys carried could fit in six shots, however, most cowboys would only fill in five of those six shots. This was because the revolver could easily be set off, which is why it was important to keep that first chamber empty.

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2. Black Bart

Black Bart was a famous Wild West robber who preferred to target stagecoaches. One day, when going after a Wells Fargo stagecoach, he happened upon a woman. Instead of taking her purse, he decided that would be impolite, and chose to go for the company’s money instead.

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3. Gunslingers?

Plenty of people refer to cowboys as gunslingers, but that term came much later, about 50 years later. During the actual Wild West, these cowboys were better known as shootists, and their showdowns really weren’t that common.

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4. Poker No More

Did you know that poker wasn’t even a popular game choice in the Wild West? In fact, it was rarely played, as most of the population at the time preferred playing a card game called faro.

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5. Boots Were Made for Walking

The entire cowboy outfit had a lot of thought put into it. For instance, the boots with the stirrups may look stylish, but in actuality, those stirrups prevented them from sliding off. Similarly, the lack of laces ensures you’re able to slide out easily if you fall off your horse, ensuring you aren’t dragged about.

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6. Gold Rush

Many people associate the economic boom of the Wild West with the 1849 gold rush, but in actuality, that wasn’t even the first or second gold rush to occur. In fact, before California’s rush, there was one in North Carolina and Georgia.

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7. Jesse James

One of the most notorious outlaws around was Jesse James, who was known for robbing banks and making enemies. When he passed, his family buried him in front of their farm, but meanwhile, the world was duped into thinking a different man named J. Frank Dalton was Jesse James. Dalton came forward at the age of 101 as Jesse James and was buried after his passing, only for it to be later revealed that the real Jesse James had already passed.

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8. First Quickdraw

Hollywood has made the quickdraw fight quite famous, but if you look into its history, you’ll find the first fight occurred in Springfield, Missouri. During this quickdraw, gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt settled their dispute over gambling winnings.

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9. Buffalo Hunts

Some people believe the Wild West ended when the last wild buffalo was no more. Either way, there were once millions of bison roaming the United States, but the government hired men to take them out in order to cripple the Native American population. At one point, buffaloes were reduced to 256 in captivity, but luckily the population has increased to 150,000 by today.

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10. Prevailing Justice

The lawlessness of the Wild West led some people to think the conclusions of those old-school quick-draws would be the end of a duel. However, there was a legal system in place, and even after a duel, the winner would be tried and judged for his crimes.

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