Hello readers and welcome back to Pale Horse Revelations. where we explore significant people, places, and events in Old West history. While I make no promises, don't be surprised if some of these places, people, or events find their way into future Pale Rider adventures.
Welcome to this special Easter edition of Pale Horse Revelations. After focusing on legendary (or infamous) individuals the last several weeks, I thought a change of pace may be in order. So, this week we'll take a brief look at some of the most popular pastimes enjoyed in the American Old West.
It likely comes as no surprise to most that the number one pastime during this wild and wooly period was the consumption of alcohol. In most Old West towns saloons outnumbers both schools and churches. The saloons provided numerous forms of entertainment for cowboys, miners, and all manner of rough characters. Saloons often served as venues for traveling entertainers, hosted dances, and offered numerous games of chance. Regardless of what activity brought one into a saloon alcohol flowed like a river. Of course, the alcohol served then was a far cry from what can be enjoyed today. The majority of the alcohol served in these establishments was made locally with little or no regulation. It might be distilled from chewing tobacco, ammonia, pepper, turpentine, and even, gunpowder. Similarly, the beer found in these establishments was a far cry what we think of today as it was typically served warm.
Another favored way to spend one's free time was enjoying the company of painted ladies or soiled doves (slang for prostitutes). Sadly, prostitution was one of the few forms of employment available to women. Many frontier towns had brothels where these women offered their services to cowboys, miners, and ranchers. In addition to the brothels, prostitutes could be found in nearly every saloon. As a general rule, "ladies" were not allowed entry into saloons, so if there was a woman present there was little doubt that she was there for business.
Yet another pastime found in saloons across the western frontier was gambling. Poker was a favored pastime of such Old West icons as Wild Bill Hickock and Doc Holiday. But it was not the only game of chance being played. In the saloons house dealers dealt games like Chuck-A-Luck, Three Card Monte, High Dice, and Faro. Faro was, by far, the most popular game of chance being played in the saloons. This was due to the fast action, easy to learn rules, and slightly better odds than many other games.
Perhaps the most gruesome and morbid of pastimes enjoyed on the Old West were public hangings. Many lawmen (and judges) used these as public relations events. Each hanging provided visible proof of their efforts to clean up the streets and make their towns safe. Witnessing these events tended to reinforce the notion that crime didn't pay and improved the townsfolks' overall morale. Hangings became public spectacles and friends and neighbors came together to watch them. It was not uncommon for picnic lunches to be brought along to enjoy.
More wholesome pastimes were just as popular. Swapping stories around the campfire was a common practice among cowboys and pioneers alike. The more memorable stores would be oft repeated and embellished with each telling. The most memorable of the stories survive to the present day. A prime example is the tale of Pecos Bill. Unknown storytellers added their own spin on the stories of this fictional cowboy, each telling more absurd than those that preceded it. From these campfire stories came the folk tales about how Pecos Bill created the Gulf of Mexico by lassoing a rain cloud and how he dragged his knife behind him as he broke his horse, inadvertently carving out the Grand Canyon.
Music was a common form of entertainment as well. Live music, whether played around the campfire, or heard in the local saloon, was the order of the day. The fiddle was, arguably, the most popular instrument of the day. But so too were the harmonica, banjo, upright piano, mandolin, accordion, and guitar.
Sporting events such as boxing, and baseball were popular pastimes enjoyed on the frontier. People flocked to boxing matches when they came to town. These matches were often brutal and bloody affairs as they lacked the rules and mandatory safety gear required today. Famous lawman Wyatt Earp was known to referee the occasional fight and his friend Bat Masterson covered the events as a sportswriter.
Baseball was extremely popular in the Old West, despite the lack of a professional league. It was common practice for towns to scrounge together enough players to form a team. The teams would then travel to other towns to compete in well attended games. Betting on these games became big business and drew interest from some well-known characters. For example, Wild Bill Hickock, best known as a gunfighter, played baseball as well.
In 1852 Texas cowboys invented a new sport that would come to be called Rodeo. Borrowing on traditions from the Vaqueros of Mexico the first such event featured steer roping, horse races, and bull fights. But what really drew the crowds were the bucking bronco contests. While the skill and courage demanded by the sport were admired, it was the aspect of danger that brought people out in droves. This Old West sport persists to the modern day.
This brings us to the end of another edition of Pale Horse Revelations. I hope you found it to be both interesting and entertaining. The goal this week was to provide a glimpse into everyday life in the Old West. As usual, I have tried to provide some interesting historical information while trying not to bog the casual reader down with too much detail. I encourage anyone interested in learning more to dig in and do a little research of their own.
As a reminder, I would love to hear your suggestions for topics to focus on in future editions of Pale Horse Revelations. If there's a particular location, person, or event that you would like to know more about, please let me know. Just fill out the Contact form found on the "Contact the Author" page of this website and indicate your desired topic in the message box at the bottom of the form. I look forward to hearing from you all.
Please be sure to check back next week for the next installment of Pale Horse Revelations and thank you for your continued interest and support.