The period of the Wild West was between the years 1865 and 1895—only 30 years! This was very brief for so many iconic characters that still serve as role models among American heroes.
Cowboys played an essential role in the ranching industry by driving cattle across the open range in the mid-19th century, but the invention of barbed wire fencing, the increased privatization of land, and the growth of the railroad brought an end to the cowboys' way of life.
When did the Wild West start and end? The Wild West started in the 17th century and ended in the 19th century. Once the United States acquired all the continental land and more people began settling, the Wild West ended.
Many different sources (especially online) tend to give one of two different dates as the end of the Wild West period: 1895 or 1900. One textbook, “The American West,” states, “By 1895 the problems of lawlessness were gradually being sorted out.”
Now meet Harry Tracy, the Old West's last outlaw. Tracy was a walking bundle of contradictions. Strikingly handsome with an Abercrombie & Fitch model's disdainful smirk, he could be excessively polite.
After murdering an estimated 25 men (mostly law officers), committing at least 43 robberies, 12 or more one-on-one hold ups and making at least six jail breaks Harry Tracy, the last gunfighter of the Old West, was dead at age 27.
Who was the most feared gunslinger in the Old West?
One — John Wesley Hardin
Hardin was one of the most notorious gunslingers of the Wild West. He is said to have killed over 40 men, including his first victim at 15. He was known for his quick draw and his willingness to shoot first and ask questions later.
There might be more famous outlaws out there who roamed the Wild West, but few of them, if any, were deadlier than John Wesley Hardin. He bragged about gunning down over 40 men, although newspapers of the time were only able to corroborate around 25 victims.
In 1867, the first railroad line opened from Abilene, TX to Chicago, beginning the "golden age" for the American cowboy. It would last until the winter of 1885-86, when the cold weather would kill off 85% of the cattle in Texas/American cattle/whatever.
Originally, White cowboys were called cowhands, and African Americans were pejoratively referred to as “cowboys.” African American men being called “boy” regardless of their age stems from slavery and the plantation era in the South.
Vaqueros were the first cowboys. Vaquero culture in North America goes back as far as the 1680s. This was a time when the population was much smaller, and life was much different.
Definitely in the ten year span between 1870 and 1880. That's the classical period of the “Wild West.” It was during these years when the James gang had their run, when Custer's Last Stand went down, when John Wesley Hardin and Wild Bill Hickok were in their prime.
Cowboys were typically young men, roughly 16 to 25 in age. They often did not have much education or skills that would have helped them find other types of work. They came from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The downfall of the cowboy was result of the mechanization of the ranching industry. As ranches acquired more land and focused on increasing production, they required more horsepower than actual horses could provide.
Though popularly considered American, the traditional cowboy began with the Spanish tradition, which evolved further in what today is Mexico and the Southwestern United States into the vaquero of northern Mexico and the charro of the Jalisco and Michoacán regions.
Spanning a thirty-year period, from the late 1800s until the 1920s, Hell Paso is the true story of the desperate men and notorious women that made El Paso, Texas the Old West's most dangerous town.
Bob Munden was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as “The Fastest Man with a Gun Who Ever Lived”. One journalist reckoned that if Munden had been at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, on October 26, 1881, the gunfight would have been over in 5 to 10 seconds. He could whip out his Colt .
The idea (as spread by old western films) that gunslingers in the "Old West" fanned their revolvers in actual gunfights with any regularity is considered a caricature. It was done in shooting exhibitions (where trick marksmen entertained crowds with exotic shooting shows) and by many a curious target-practiser.
The days of the Old West aren't over yet. States like Colorado, Texas, California, South Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona all have wild west towns or ghost towns you can visit for a step back in time.
By reputation, Billy the Kid was lightning fast but only of average accuracy for a gunfighter. According to Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday was 'the deadliest and fastest man with a six-gun he had ever seen.
According to Pat Garrett, Billy was “quick as a flash.” While a good shot, he said, Billy “was no better than the majority of men who are constantly handling and using six-shooters. . . .”
Were there really a lot of gunfights in the Old West?
Gun ownership was commonplace in the post-Civil War Old West, but actual gunfights were rare. One reason was that, contrary to the mythology, many frontier towns had strict gun laws, especially against carrying concealed weapons.
The Wyatt Earp gun on display at the Arizona History Museum. Inside the Arizona History Museum beside the University of Arizona campus, held in a glass display, is a cream handled Colt . 45 revolver that museum officials say once belonged to Tombstone legend Wyatt Earp.
