Cowboy Facts of the Wild West

Here's a bit of American History about the American Wild West. To many it means cowboys, guns, cattle, horses and gunfights. But it was also homesteading and pioneering the frontier.


The American west was a rugged country back then with little amenities and much danger. It represented the growth of our nation from independent states and scattered people to a united country. Read about the colorful traditions of cowboys and how they tamed the wild west and coped with the harsh life on the western range.

Some important events that affected the lives of cowboys in the Wild West: In 1867, the first cattle drive from Texas up the Chisholm Trail arrived at the rail yards of Abilene, Kansas. In 1874, Joseph Glidden received a patent for his invention of barbed wire, an inexpensive, durable and effective fencing material which opened the plains to more efficient agriculture and ranching.

In 1877, Congress passed the Desert Land Act which permitted settlers to purchase up to 640 acres of public land at 25-cents an acre in areas where the arid climate required large-scale farming. They were required to properly irrigate the land they purchased.

History of the Wild West

When the first white men arrived in the new world [America] from the Old world [Europe], they came across high cheek boned, deeply suntanned natives, who they later nicknamed 'Red Indians'. These were the first ever to live in America and lived there alone for centuries. Did you know that they weren't called red Indians because of their skin color, but because of the red war paint they wore when going out?



It is however important to tell you that from very early on there were 2 main types of Indians-Forest and Prairie- and they both lived in very different ways..

The White Man discovered the Native Americans (Red Indians)in the 16th Century. They were by no means foolish, they knew how to use stone, wood, skin and bone for their weapons and household objects, but knew absolutely nothing about Metal. The men knew how to get their women [squaws] to carry all the heavy loads, all about fire to cook and keep them warm.


Below is a list of the major tribes and where they originated from;

Apache - South Plains, South West, East

Cherokee - East Tennessee, North Carolina

Cheyenne - Plains

Chinook - North West Pacific coast

Iroquois - North East

Mohawk - New York

Navajo - New Mexico, Arizona, Utah

Sioux - Plains