Unveiling the Truth: 7 Common Myths About the Wild West

Contrary to popular belief shaped by Western films and adventure novels, much of what is commonly thought about the Wild West is a blend of fiction and exaggeration.

The journey began in 1804 with the expedition led by U.S. Army officers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, marking the start of westward expansion beyond the Mississippi River. This vast area eventually formed 22 of the 50 states in the United States.

Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th, these lands were developed through the displacement of Native Americans, mining activities, and the large-scale hunting of bison. This era, often called the Wild West, is sometimes narrowly defined as the 25-year span from 1865 (the end of the American Civil War) to 1890.

The Wild West is surrounded by numerous myths, perpetuated by literature, cinema, and popular culture. American authors and filmmakers played a significant role in popularizing these tales of cowboys and Native Americans.

ZAMONA presents seven widespread misconceptions about this period.

1. Cowboys Were Noble Heroes Who Could Solve Any Problem

Most people picture cowboys as jeans-wearing men with wide-brimmed hats, armed with Colts and Winchesters, riding horses. In Westerns, they assist sheriffs, fight bandits, expose corrupt officials, shoot accurately, drink whiskey, and rescue damsels from Native Americans. Almost all of these portrayals are fictional.

Cowboys primarily worked for cattle traders and butchers, herding wild cattle left by Spanish colonists in Texas. Since the climate allowed year-round grazing on vast plains, cattle ranching was profitable. Texas cattle were worth about ten times less than those in eastern states.

Essentially, cowboys were cattle herders—young men responsible for rounding up, driving, and caring for herds often numbering around 250 head. Their work involved long migrations of over 1,000 kilometers twice a year, demanding physical endurance and skill in animal care and sometimes slaughter.

The job was grueling: up to 14-hour days, exposure to dust, limited diets, and health challenges meant many lasted only about seven years in this role. Pay was modest compared to skilled laborers, and many cowboys were young, unmarried men from modest backgrounds—including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and occasionally women.

Cowboys carried weapons mainly for protection against wild animals, Native Americans, and thieves. Owners often supplied firearms and horses, given their cost. During cattle drives, alcohol consumption and gambling were prohibited by owners and federal laws, especially across Native lands.

After long drives, cowboys relaxed in cattle trade hubs such as Dodge City, famous for its saloons, brothels, and casinos. Their favored drink was often beer, being cheaper and more accessible than whiskey.

Despite popular images, returning cowboys were often viewed by the press as drunken vagrants or even armed bandits, far from the romanticized heroes seen in films.

2. The Wild West Was Lawless, With Sheriffs as the Only Guardians of Order

Western movies depict rampant lawlessness, bounty posters everywhere, and frequent shootouts between bandits and cowboys. Reality was different.

While official governance was slow to establish in frontier towns, private vigilance committees formed by residents effectively combatted crime. For instance, San Francisco's Vigilance Committee in the 1850s and similar groups in Texas helped maintain order.

Sheriffs rarely worked alone; marshals, rangers, and mounted police aided law enforcement. Their duties mostly involved managing intoxicated individuals, disarming those violating weapons laws, and controlling disruptive patrons in gambling and public houses. Citizens often assisted voluntarily, many armed for self-defense.

Contrary to legend, towns like Dodge City soon banned public firearm carrying, making the image of a gunslinger strolling with two pistols more fiction than fact.

Mining and cattle towns emerging across the West were not chaotic crime hubs but had relatively low crime rates due to cooperation between private and public entities and community agreements.

Scenes of bandits dramatically entering towns are largely cinematic. Criminals often avoided populated areas, residing instead in rural or border regions. Although cattle rustlers and bounty hunters existed, their activities were limited.

Between 1859 and 1900, only eight bank robberies occurred in 15 Old West states—a figure dwarfed by incidents in modern mid-sized American cities.

Banks were built with the latest security near sheriff offices, and valuable shipments on trains and stagecoaches were well guarded. Bandits mainly targeted lone travelers and drivers.

Punishments were severe; many criminals faced death, and vigilante justice was common, sometimes resulting in immediate executions without trial even for cattle theft.

Duels for honor happened but were rare and far less glamorous than films suggest—participants hid and fired blindly, with success depending largely on who shot first. Notably, Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok were killed by ambush rather than in fair shootouts.

3. Everyone Wore Stetson Hats

The iconic wide-brimmed Stetson hat became associated with the Wild West mainly due to the rise of Western films. In reality, cowboys and frontiersmen wore a variety of hat styles.

For example, famous outlaw Billy the Kid wore a distinctive hat, as did legendary gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok and lawman Buffalo Bill Masterson, who often sported bowler hats, which were more popular during that era.

Simple, wide-brimmed hats without curled edges, such as the "Boss of the Plains" created by John Stetson, were among the first popular designs.

4. Expert Gunslingers Could Shoot with Both Hands Simultaneously

In popular culture, gunslingers are portrayed as quick-draw experts able to fire two pistols at once with deadly accuracy.

This is an appealing fantasy. Although many carried multiple firearms due to the lengthy reload times of revolvers, the ability to shoot effectively with both hands simultaneously was uncommon. Outlaws like Jesse James and Bloody Bill Anderson carried up to six pistols on raids to sustain firepower.

Moreover, revolvers were heavy, cumbersome, and had limited range. Rifles like the Winchester carbine and shotguns were equally, if not more, favored weapons during the period.

5. Native Americans Constantly Attacked American Settlers

Almost every Western includes scenes of Native American attacks on settler villages or wagon trains. Historically, however, Native American aggression was less frequent than settlers’ encroachment.

Many tribes avoided conflict or fought alongside the U.S. government against colonial powers or rival tribes. Initially, Native lands were purchased, and treaties made with tribal leaders.

After the Civil War, peaceful relations deteriorated. In 1871, the U.S. government ceased treaty recognition and aggressively expanded into the Great Plains, leading to forced relocation of Native Americans to reservations and widespread extermination.

One notable incident was the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, where U.S. soldiers attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho village under a U.S. flag, killing mostly women, children, and elderly.

Such atrocities fueled Native resistance. American troops built forts to protect settlements and supply lines, often using scorched earth tactics and decimating bison herds vital to Native sustenance and culture.

By 1894, there were over 40 official wars involving Native Americans in the West, resulting in at least 30,000 Native deaths—likely an undercount.

Travelers’ diaries from 1834 to 1860 indicate Native attacks were infrequent, often involving demands for tolls or theft of horses and cattle rather than violent confrontations. Settlers circled wagons at night to prevent livestock loss, not just for defense.

Documented Native attacks along the Oregon Trail resulted in 362 settler deaths, while retaliatory killings of Native Americans exceeded 400.

Thus, Native American warfare was largely against the U.S. military rather than settlers, driven by government policies rather than unprovoked aggression. Native tribes themselves were not always noble warriors, engaging in brutal conflicts with rival tribes and causing white casualties including women and children.

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