SALOONS IN THE OLD WEST

SALOONS IN THE OLD WEST

Saloons are one of the first things that we think of when we think of the old west. Today we’re looking at saloons in the old west. 

Nearly every Town in the 19th century had at least 1 saloon. 

We often think of saloons as bars but they were much more than that. First, let’s take a look at what “saloon” really means. 

The word saloon comes from the French word: “salon”. Salons were large rooms where men gathered to party and talk about current events or solve the world’s problems. 

That’s similar to what happened in the old west saloons. Men gathered to drink and gamble. But saloons offered many other services such as barbers, rooms for rent, gambling, food, and even theatre. 

Saloons usually only consisted of men. A proper 19th-century lady would never be seen in a saloon.

Most towns had more than just 1 or 2 saloons. Not all saloons were big. Some were just big enough to put a bar and a few tables. It was common to see more than 10 saloons in a mining town. Some saloons were owned by women, commonly known as “madams” at the time. 

Some saloons are still standing today. If you wanna live the experience of going to a saloon you can visit these at any time. Here are some examples: the silver dollar saloon in colorado, the white elephant saloon in fort worth, texas. The buckhorn saloon in New Mexico. And The occidental saloon and hotel in buffalo, Wyoming. There are a lot more but we will cover them in another blog soon. 

We hope this blog helped you learn more about Saloons of the old west.

WOMEN OF THE OLD WEST

When we mention the old west, most people think of masculine cowboys, and women are rarely talked about. Today we’re looking at the life of women in the old west. 

The role of women in the wild west, or in 19th century America was mainly as housewives. Women were rarely considered part of the labor force and when they were, they usually did jobs that required less physical force such as working as maids in houses of the wealthy. 

It was hard for a woman to provide for herself in the 19th century. The only jobs that a woman could take and that paid well was a madam who owned a saloon, but this was mainly for wealthy women. Young girls who had to provide for themselves often became outlaws or in many cases prostitutes. 

This was mainly before the late 19th century when feminism started having an actual impact on society in the west. Although feminism started as early as 1848 in America. 

Some women practiced activities that were seen as more “manly” such as cowgirls and female outlaws. They were seen as odd and usually weren’t taken seriously. 

Epidemic in the west: the cholera outbreak

Howdy folks and welcome to a new article on life in the old west. Today we will be exploring the epidemic of 1873 that struck fear on the frontier.

The cholera outbreak in the west is believed to have spread after the arrival of some Russians migrants. The doctor’s theory of this epidemic was that it was brought by immigrants in this country from endemic areas overseas.

The association between unsanitary conditions, especially drinking water contaminated with infected human feces, and the development of cholera was basically understood in 1873 America.

Very often on the frontier , cholera patients suffered quickly and died without any medical attention. That's why the quarantine method was heavily implied to stop the spread of the dangerous disease, much like today.

Today, cholera, compared to other diseases, is easy to cure. It was a disaster in the old west though because of the lack of medical experts and advanced treatments.

DUELS IN THE WILD WEST

Duels in the wild west: Fact vs Fiction Western movies and games made the term gunslingers famous, a gunslinger is though a modern term referring to old west gunfighters who gained a reputation by being dangerous with a gun. They could be a lawman, an outlaw, a hired gun, or even a normal citizen. Most gunfights are portrayed in films or books as having two men square off face to face, waiting for one to make the first move. This was rarely the case, it is pure fiction. The fact is that a gunfight was a
spur of the moment, with one drawing a pistol and the other resting; this would more likely develop into a shootout where both men would bolt to cover. These fights were often close up and personal, with the eager to earn a big reputation and beat other big gunslingers. Two men with the same reputation would avoid undue risks, thats why most gunfights were between a famous gunman and a less known one. How gunslingers actually won or died It is varied between each man and their reputation. Many gunfighters were so feared by the public that when they are killed, they died as a result of an ambush rather than going down in a “blaze of glory”.Others died from secluded deaths like sickness or from old age. Many duels were also quickly drawn,thats where the term fastest gun in the west comes from. And thats how all gunfights are portrayed in the movie, two men just settle it off after a dispute. Well, there u have it folks now u know what's true and what's a Hollywood invention .we hope u learned something interesting today and stay tuned for more blogs. 

HUNTING IN THE OLD WEST

Howdy folks, and welcome to another blog about the old west. Today we’re looking at hunting in the old west.

THE BUFFALO EXTERMINATION

Hunting was a primary source of food in the old west. Indians hunted buffalo with bows and arrows to feed their tribes and also used them to make clothes and food. The white man also hunted buffalo with big caliber rifles primarily to use its leather and fur to make clothes and other leather products. The Buffalo pelts business was so profitable that it almost lead to an extinction of the American Buffalo. The U.S government supported the extermination of the bison herds to starve the Indian tribes. 

In 1872 grand duke of Russia Alexie Alexandrovich was brought on a buffalo hunt while visiting America. He got the royal treatment of being led by famous frontiersmen: George Armstrong Custer and Buffalo Bill Cody. 

BIG GAME - SMALL GAME 

Buffalo wasn’t the only Hunted animal on the frontier. Hunters brought down all kinds of Big game and small game animals. There were few regulations when it came to hunting. Anyone can take their rifle and bring down a deer to feed their family during the winter. Hunters used big calibers to hunt their prey. Such as 48-50 caliber rifles. Keep in mind that black powder didn’t have the velocity and strength that today’s smokeless powder had. Frontiersmen used hunting dogs to help them retrieve small game such as ducks or rabbits. 

We hope you found this blog educational and helpful. We wish you a good hunting experience. 

OUTLAWS FROM THE WEST

Howdy folks and welcome to another blog on life in the old west. Today we will be looking at gunfighters, aka gunslingers, who were on the wrong side of the law. Do note that gunslingers is a modern term referring to outlaws or lawmen that gained a reputation as being dangerous with a gun.

The age of outlawry and thievry began during and after the civil war, as a consequence of everything being expensive and most people didnt have enough money to live well,thus taking an evil path for the sake of surviving and the ideology of freedom.

The majority of outlaws preyed on stagecoaches, trains, and banks and even killed people. Some of these crimes were carried out by native Americans during the American Indian war or even Mexicans. But most of the outlaws were a simple group of men who took advantage of the wildness and lawlessness of the frontier, during and after the civil war, at the expense of others.

They would usually end up doing something stupid that will end with their capture or even death with the purpose of expansion, defense, greed, and reinvention.

But by the end of the 1800 hundreds, the law began reforming effectively,and with the help of bounty hunters, gangs were captured and the most dangerous and ruthless criminls  were dead.

Biggest outlaws of the west:

Now let’s take a look at the most famous outlaws from the west and how they inevitably came to an end in the hands of the law or bounty hunters:

1. billy the kid:

Gained a reputation for starting the outlaw life so young, beginning with horse thieving and ending up robbing and killing people while escaping jail countless times. Although he boasted about killing over 2 dozen men, that number is exaggerated. He was fatally shot by sheriff Pat Garret at the age of just 21.

2. Jesse James:

 famous for robbing banks alongside his brother in a gang after fighting in the civil war. He eventually had a huge price on his head that lead to a newly recruited member, Robert Ford, to kill him as the law promised for his freedom if he killed James.

3. butch Cassidy and the wild bunch

known for wreaking havoc on the frontier as well as robbing trains and banks. They ended up dying in a shootout with the law.

And just like these examples, by 1899 the age of outlaws and gunslingers on the frontier came to an end.

SHERIFFS IN THE OLD WEST

WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE AN OLD WEST SHERIFF

SHERIFFS IN THE OLD WEST

Howdy folks, and welcome to another blog about life in the old west. Today we’re looking at the Sheriffs in the old west. Sheriffs have been depicted as ruthless gunslingers in movies for centuries. But a wild west lawman was much more than just a gunslinger. So let’s look at how the law functioned in the wild wild west. 

A SHERIFF AND A POLITICIAN: 

In the wild west, learning how to shoot wasn’t enough to become a sheriff. A sheriff was elected by the residents of his town or county. So a sheriff had to be persuasive and loved by the people to get elected.

POSSES

Sometimes a sheriff didn’t have enough deputies and lawmen to assist him when a gang of outlaws attacks the town. So a sheriff would gather a group of men from his town and deputize them if necessary. Rounding up a “posse” which comes from the phrase “posse comitatus” meaning “made up of civilians” was a powerful right that sheriffs possessed. And it is still in US law books today.

STRICT GUN REGULATIONS

Our depiction of the wild west as a lawless place where gun crimes were extremely common is nothing more than fiction. Sheriffs often enforced strict gun restrictions. In tombstone (Arizona today)visitors were required to surrender their weapons when they enter town and them over to the local hotel or sheriff office 

THEY COLLECTED TAXES

One of the duties of a sheriff was collecting taxes from the residents to pay themselves and their deputies.

Not all sheriffs were honest of course, some were former outlaws. For example, sheriff wider was an outlaw, David Updike stole thousands of dollars including gold bars while serving as Sheriff of Ada County, Idaho. 

 

The life of a wild west sheriff wasn’t easy. Not always as exciting as it seems in movies and tv shows. Perhaps it is as hard as the lives of people enforcing the law for today. 

That’s it for today’s fellers, we hope that you liked this blog. Stay tuned for the next one.