WESTERN WEAR

People from the Wild West are often credited as wearing cowboy clothing. But how did it transpire? Western wear is actually inspired by different generations of settlers in the Old West, from pioneer, mountain man, cowboy, and vaquero. The men’s and women’s clothing can be formal or informal, depending on the occasion and their preference. Western wear usually comprises a cowboy hat, a shirt, a coat, trousers, a leather belt, neckwear, and boots. For women, they wear prairie skirts and dresses. To this day, Western people still adapted their cultural wear. Even though it looks modern, at least the traditional wear is still passed on.

WESTERN SALOON

Western films always display cowboys either drinking in bars or getting involved in a gunfight. But this vintage photo here is proof that the Wild West men do love to feast on drinks. Their bar was usually credited as a saloon. The Western saloon served customers such as gamblers, cowboys, soldiers, businessmen, and lawmen. In 1822, the first saloon of the Wild West was established at Brown’s Hole, Wyoming. The saloons also offer different entertainment such as dancing girls, gambling, billiards, and darts. To this day, there are several existing saloons that were built in the late 1800s that are still operating.

TEXAS JACK

John Wilson Vermillion, better known as Texas Jack, was a reputed gunfighter in the Wild West. He moved from Virginia to the West after the Civil War. He was credited as “Shoot-Your-Eye-Out Vermillion” because it was a popular story back in the day of a person that shot someone straight in the eye. Texas Jack was appointed as a city policeman in 1881 to help in the Tombstone fire. He also helped run after cowboys who were outlawed. In 1890, Texas Jack returned to his town Virginia and lived near the town of Big Stone Gap. He worked there as a Methodist preacher.

JESSE JAMES (AGAIN)

The outlaw Jesse Woodson James was the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. The James–Younger Gang was notorious in the 19th-century which was based in Missouri. The members were the James brothers (Jesse and Frank), Younger brothers (Bob, Cole, John, and Jim), John Jarrett, George Shepherd, Arthur McCoy, William McDaniel, Charlie Pitts, Oliver Shepherd, Tom McDaniel, Bill Chadwell, and Clell Miller. The group robbed banks and murdered people. However, in 1876, the robbery gang got dissolved when the Younger brothers were captured. Jesse James later organized a new gang until his fellow gang member Robert Ford shot and killed him.

MAIMAN FROM MOJAVE TRIBE

The photo shows a Native American guide and interpreter named Maiman, who belonged to the Mojave tribe. The photograph was credited to Timothy O’Sullivan and taken in the Colorado River (now the U.S. states of Arizona and California). Maiman was accompanying O’Sullivan to places where the latter can capture great photographs. Aside from being friendly to the Western settlers, Mojave tribes are also known for being good in farming, fishing, and hunting. Mojave men and women were known to farm together. The men planted the crops while women harvested them. Aside from food crops, they also grew hemp, tobacco, cotton, and medicinal plants.

THE ROUND-UP

Here’s a picture of several cowboys rounding up cattle. The round-up is usually performed twice a year either for the animals’ health purposes, the shearing of sheep, or for branding animals (marking livestock to identify the owner). The cowboys herd the animals while on their horseback. Rounding up or herding animals was an essential job in the Wild West since the land is surrounded by numerous ranches. The ranching and livestock industry in the Wild West grew faster at that time. Some ranchers also raise bison, ostriches, and alpacas, depending on the culture. This photo is again credited to photographer Timothy O’Sullivan.

TRAIN THEM YOUNG

Children in the Wild West were exposed to horseriding and things in the ranches. So it is no question how they started young as cowboys or how they dream to be one. In the West, most ranches and business investments were run by the family. The popular phrase “train them young” would be the perfect caption for this photo. During this era, it was the norm for families to train children in the business. The sooner you learn to ride a horse, the sooner you can contribute. The word “cowboy” began in the early 19th century and originated from the Spanish word “vaquero”.

NEW MEXICO

There were several new towns being established in the Wild West as more and more settlers arrived, but the town of New Mexico has a story to tell. It was colonized by Mexico and had Spanish and Native Americans settlers. In 1846, the United States declared war versus Mexico and the U.S. General later declared New Mexico a U.S. possession. In this photo, we see people having a parade and enjoying a festive celebration. It may be credited to a spiritual feast as some of them were kneeling, but we know it was a hot day because of the sea of umbrellas.

BROKE

We picture out the Wild West not only with a lot of cowboys but also horses. Horses were an everyday thing for the Western settles, as this was the only means for travel within the town. However, not all horses wanted to be ridden. There are some that would require horse breaking. The term “broke” is widely used by cowboys, which means that the horse is trained and understands the rider’s basic movements, and later let themselves be ridden or harnessed. This required the rider’s investment of time, patience, and skills. Well, without the horses, these riders can’t go to their destination!

MEXICAN BAKE OVEN

In this photo is what we call a Mexican bake oven, which is similar to a horn, a mud adobe-built oven used outdoors by settlers of the Wild West including the Native Americans. Horno is credited as a Spanish word meaning “oven” and has a beehive shape. These ovens allowed people to cook using several methods such as baking bread and making stews. It is still used today in New Mexico and Arizona, bringing traditional food from one generation to another. It works by building a fire inside and then depending on the food, there are different cooking techniques in using this bake oven.