Rare Images of What the Wild West Was Like

A phrase we’ve all heard of is “a picture is worth 1000 words”. This saying couldn’t be more valid when you use it on historical images taken at the perfect moments. Media has portrayed the west in many ways, but none of us know what to believe. We can slowly picture the wild west by seeing these fascinating images from back then, and we will be able to get some idea of what life in the wild west was really like.

There were several pretty known establishments wherein dance hall showgirls would work, which was pretty big in the Wild West. To the northwest side of Canada, there is a region called Klondike Gold Rush, from which many prospectors fleed to look for places that could provide them entertainment and accommodation. As you can see, the two girls in the picture were known to travel to Ketchikan and Dawson City for Work regularly.

Some pretty creepy masks developed in the wild west as there was no sense of fashion or access to better materials. It is unknown whether the masks they made so creepy were on purpose or not, but they did one heck of a job, creating some scary masks. The woman you can see in the picture is one of the most iconic pictures taken in the wild west. She can be seen wearing a creepy mask, which is only frightening to the fellow citizens, especially the children.

The woman you can see in the picture became Madame Mustache due to her looks. She was known to be envied by other women as she was so beautiful in her young life. Madame Mustache was very unlucky when it came to love, a gambler who also owned a casino, but she lost to love when she met a conman who sold everything she had.

No matter the men were straight or not, they showed affection towards other men. Men back then knew their masculinities more fluidly than men of this era. Men were seen holding hands, kissing, hugging each other, and it was so common that no one got surprised. Men in India and Pakistan still hold hands, but no one knew that it was more common back then in the Wild West.

Settlers were only considered civilized while the indigenous people savages, convinced when they got to the US. We all know now that there is no truth in it. The woman in the picture shows how regal and calm she looks, more dignified than many settlers back then. Some believe that the creation of Pocahontas was inspired by this portrait.

There were gallows everywhere in the Wild West. Typical wooden objects that could be hung or weighed. In this picture, some lawmen can be seen checking the gallows. Maybe some hanging is in order?

One of the first women in Colorado to start her medical practice, Dr. Susan Anderson, or some would call her Doc Susie, broke more than one barrier in the time of Wild West. She studied at the University of Michigan, and she started her practice after her degree was completed. She is known for saving a minor’s arm when some other doctor claimed the arm of the minor to be amputated.

A single female in the whole Wild West is an achievement of its own; Pearl Hart is someone you might be hearing for the first time. She became an outlaw, not caring for the wealth and status of her family. She is so remarkable that she even robbed stagecoaches, which many men of the time couldn’t do, and she was one of the last people ever to do it. She was the only female inmate in the Wild West prison at one time.

Known for killing more than eight people at a very young age, Billy the Kid’s original name was Henry McCarty. He was born in New York but fled to New Mexico, where he spent most of his life with his family. He became one of the most famous conmen and was shot while he was escaping from a prison.

Men and women of the Wild West were known to have the rage and tenacity to hold a gun. The woman in the picture that you are seeing is one of the most elite sharpshooters of the time. These women were marksmen that were trained. Big Nose Kate burned a jailhouse to rescue her husband. Calamity Jane, Stagecoach Mary, and Lillian Smith are some of the markswomen of that era.

No one wanted to mess with this lady; Goldie Griffith was one of the most famous women of the Wild West. She was a mean-looking laddy and had some fantastic boxing and wrestling skills. Many people tried to put her down but failed. Once, she lost a bet, so she rode 3000 miles to keep her word.

The famous wife of Morgan Earp, Louisa Houston Earp Peters, was a regular family girl who had 11 siblings. Many rumors circulating her life came out over the years. Her husband was murdered, and she remarried sometime after that. She died in her thirties from Nephritis and Diarrhea.

Ever seen a real-life Robin Hood and a Wild West version of that? Meet Mr. Jesse James, known as the Robin Hood of the Wild West, and he was very famous as he would steal from the rich and give to the poor. Trains, banks, and rich people were his real targets.

Ever seen someone with luck on their side and then a tragic ending? Meet Eleanor Dumont, who was a very successful businesswoman of the time. She appeared out of nowhere with her French accent, opened a casino which became a success overnight. Tragedy followed her when she decided to open a new casino, and then her husband took almost everything she had. She ended up taking her life as she was drowned in the debts.

This picture shows a parade being delivered before a show. It was believed that the picture was taken somewhere in Boston, and the picture clearly shows that these Native Americans don’t look too excited about delivering the parade.

No one believes the fortune teller these days, but they were a big thing in the wild west. The gypsies would use tarot cards, would read the palms, and also use crystal balls. Fortune-telling machines were invented as the obsession and love for fortunes became so popular.

You can see two cowboys in their leather chaps, handkerchiefs, and hats. Saying that it was a fashion back then would not be a lie. The Cowboy standing on the right side was Charley Nebo. He became an influence on the people of Nebraska as he built a cattle business after his release from the Union Army.

People nowadays use their expensive phones and innovative technology to take the perfect picture. We all know that the technology in the Wild West was nothing compared to the modern world. You can see an example of a perfect picture taken at the perfect time by an unknown photographer in the 1900s without using any modern-day technology.

Let’s talk about another legend of the Wild West; Rose Dunn, also known as Rose of the Cimarron. She got famous when she started working with another outlaw Bittercreek Newcomb. She put her life on the line while trying to save her love and her outlaw partner from a US Marshals standoff. Things got worse for her as her two bounty hunter brothers killed Bittercreek Newcomb and collected the bounty.

Let’s all meet the real Cowboy, the identity of the person in the photograph is unknown, but you can see what a real cowboy looks like. With his hat, horse, and guns, he is the real deal when it comes to cowboys.

The Americans purchased a significant portion of land controlled by the French and paid about 15 million USD for 828,000 square miles. The French regretted selling it, and the negotiation took so much time. Once the purchase was completed, most of the families started migrating to the west in the hope of starting a better life there. You can see in the picture, a family moving towards the west took their picture while sometimes traveling in 1886.

You can’t really say when this photo was taken, but it was believed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the 1900s. As soon as you look at the picture, you will be worried for the riders and horses as they are so much near the edge of the mountains. You can see in the picture that these are some very important people as a group of armed guards guarded them. We are unable to identify their identity, and no one knows where they were going.

The crime petrol was always ready at the banks as outlanders would attack these banks and rob them. There were some bank robberies; no one denies that, but to say that there were so much more bank robberies as you can watch in the movies is a lie. We thought wrong as there weren’t that many robbers. You can see in the picture that the town is a very small one. For sheriff or the crime, stoppers to reach the crime wasn’t that difficult as it was a very small town, so bank robberies were discouraged.

The American settlers didn’t treat the native Americans very well back in the day. They have faced so much injustice and mistreatment that history had to talk about it. This was one of the biggest controversial issues of the time. The settlers also had to fight against citizens of American Citizens on TV. You wouldn’t believe that the beautiful lady in the picture is Sacheen LittleFeather, who was seen protesting in the 45th Oscar against the mistreatment and misjudgments of her people. She refused Marlon Brano’s award, although he was home in protest.

Let’s see what Buffalo bill really was doing in the west as we mentioned his name. His real name was William Frederick Cody, and he got famous with the name Buffalo Bill at a young age. He became the leader of a performance troupe which included some famous performers like Annie Oakley and Gabriel Dumont. He, along with his group, traveled to several countries to perform shows in the 1900s.

The rarity of this picture shows when and where it was taken, and this photograph was taken in the Deadwood, in South Dakota, in 1889. You can see the stagecoaches that took part in the Omaha Board Trade at the time. One of HBO’s Show actually took part in the 1870s in South Dakota, so you might be familiar with the name Deadwood.

This picture show group of cowboys meeting at the bar. They can be seen drinking, which is cool about this picture because it’s so rare to see real cowboys of the Wild West in bars. Meeting like this in the bars is what these cowboys would usually do. They would meet almost every day at the same time. Women were not commonly seen in the bars, but women like Annie Oakly and other women were some exceptions.

For youngsters of the Wild West, becoming a cowboy was a dream, and they would prepare themselves for that. Families ran most of the business of that time, so after a child would reach the age, he would be put to work. You can see a child in the picture riding a horse, now we all know that riding a horse is not an easy skill to accomplish, but this kid is doing great. As the kids would become of age, they would be let to ride through the towns.