THE OUTLAW THAT WAS KILLED BY AN OUTLAW
If there is one outlaw that stood out in the Wild West, that would be Jesse James. James is the leader of the James–Younger Gang. He gained sympathy because he was credited as the Robin Hood of the Wild West, stealing from the rich in order to give to the poor. The James–Younger gang robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains across the Midwest and in different states such as Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and West Virginia. James died in 1882 when he was shot by his gang member and fellow outlaw, Robert Newton Ford. They are the men in this photo.
DOC SUSIE
Susan Anderson earned her degree in medicine from the University of Michigan back in 1897 and became a licensed physician. She was one of the first women to practice medicine in Colorado, where her family from Kansas moved to. To find work, Anderson moved to Fraser, Colorado, and was the only doctor in town. She was called “Doc Susie” by residents and she treated patients who get skiing injuries or pneumonia during the 1918 flu pandemic and other diseases. She even performed childbirth. Anderson died in 1960 at the age of 90, and in 1997, she was instated into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.
THE ONLY FEMALE PRISONER
One woman in the Wild West era set the records for having been credited as the only known woman inmate at an all-male facility. Pearl Hart committed one of the last recorded stagecoach robberies in the US. Records say that Hart embarked on a life of crime for she was desperate in looking for money to treat her seriously ill mother. She was in and out of prison and gained fame for being the only female prisoner at the time. After leaving prison, she mysteriously disappeared from public view. Hart’s life was often the subject of some of today’s films and musical plays.
GOLD RUSH
Wild West residents were gearing for their search of gold in the Northwestern United States. Wearing their cowboy hats and holding what looked like canes and maybe shovels, they are on the quest for fortune. This photo was known to have been captured in 1867, but the peak of the California Gold Rush took place for 7 years, from 1848 until 1855. The phenomenon was credited to James W. Marshall, who first found gold in Coloma, California. It brought a sudden influx of hundreds of thousands of people who journeyed to California and developed to the American economy.
WILD BILL FROM THE WILD WEST
This photo shows James Butler Hickok or popularly known as “Wild Bill”, who was a folk hero in the Old West. He was a prominent man due to his jack-of-all-trades ability. He was a soldier, lawman, showman, actor, gunfighter, and professional gambler. He spied for the Union Army during the American Civil War and took part in numerous shoot-outs. While playing poker in Dakota, he was shot from behind by an unsuccessful gambler. His tragic demise became famous as he was holding a poker combination of two pairs – two black aces and eights – now credited as the “dead man’s hand.”
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 was the United States’ acquisition of the Louisiana land from France for fifteen million dollars. The photo depicts hundreds of Americans traveling to Louisiana in search of a fresh start and of course, a new home. They built new communities and had investments in starting their own livelihood. Thomas Jefferson played the key role in the purchase since he was the American president at the time. The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed in April 1803 in Paris. In October 1803, the United States Senate authorized Jefferson to take possession of the territory.
WELCOME TO LOUISIANA
The picture shows a family of five standing in front of their wagon. We presume that the new settlers captured this in 1886 for their memorabilia while they were heading West, as they were about to start anew in the land of Louisiana. The Louisiana purchase was a significant mark in the history of the United States as it added 828,394 square miles to its territory and doubled its size. The French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, sold Louisiana to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson because France is under the threat of bankruptcy, and they needed more resources for battle in the Great French War.
SIERRA NEVADA
This image was captured in the 1900s in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The mountain is located in the eastern part of California and stretches 400 miles or 650 kilometers. It is also credited as the Sierra or the High Sierra. The photo shows men riding in their coach and traveling on nearly perpendicular and rugged mountain roads. We conclude that the one seated at the back was a man of prominence, as he was guarded by two armed men riding on their horses. The backstory of this photo still remains a mystery to us as the complete details were never found.
THE INFAMOUS BELLE STARR
Myra Maybelle Starr, better known as Belle Starr, was one of the women outlaws in the Wild West. She was popular because of her association with criminals including James–Younger Gang and several other outlaws. In 1883, she was convicted of stealing horses and was sent to prison. In 1889, she was ambushed in Oklahoma, later on, she died of shotgun wounds to her back, neck, face, and shoulder. No one knew who killed her. In that same year, her life story was turned into a novel entitled Bella Starr, the Bandit Queen, or the Female Jesse James. The novel was credited to author Richard K. Fox.
CANYON DE CHELLY
Five thousand years ago, people have lived in Arizona canyons. From the early Puebloans to the Hopis, the canyon has been a sacred refuge to the tribes of Wild West including the Navajo families. As seen in the photo, the Canyon de Chelly is a huge place for Navajo riders to go around. To preserve archaeological resources and the culture, the Congress in 1931 authorized 84,000 acres on the Navajo Nation; leaving the Navajo families to multiply, build homes, farmlands, and raise livestock. The partnership between the government and Navajo Nation is now credited as the Canyon de Chelly National Monument.