From gun-toting cowboys and hard-faced Sheriffs, to bar fights, whiskey and buxom bar wenches, a lot of images come to mind when you think of the Wild West. And with TV shows, movies and music all constantly harking back to this American period of history, it seems that Wild West culture is still popular with people across the world today.
But when was the Wild West? Why is it still popular today? And how can you bring a little bit of The Frontier and all of its rip-roaring adventure into your living room?
We’re going to answer these questions and more, as we take a trip back in time to when legs were bowed, eyes were squinted and drinking whiskey for breakfast was all considered perfectly normal.
A brief history of the Wild West
The image we have of the Wild West is largely fictionalised. However, it does refer to a specific period of US history, which started in the early 1800s and lasted until around 1900.
The era that we usually refer to when we talk about the Wild West began around the end of the American Civil war in 1865, where huge waves of migration and expansion changed the landscape of the USA drastically. The period after the Civil War gave us the many tropes that we associate with the Wild West today, including battles with Native Americans, gun-slinging cowboys and legendary figures, such as Billy the Kid, Jesse James, ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok and Wyatt Earp.
Even though the period that we call the Wild West was fraught with war, violence and death, it was an integral part of American history, and was so full of striking imagery that we continue to write books and make movies and series about it today.
The Wild West in popular culture
These days, we tend to view the Wild West with rose-tinted spectacles. Unsurprisingly, in the USA the Wild West has been hugely romanticised, as people enjoy the symbolism of a bygone era filled with lawlessness, manly, macho men, freedom and making one’s own fortune.
Wild West in TV and film
The 1950s and 60s saw a string of Wild West-themed programming, including series like The Lone Ranger, Zorro, Rawhide and Bonanza. And moving along the decades, the 80s gave us some light-hearted, gun-toting titles, like Young Guns and The Young Riders.
But it wasn’t just TV and movies that got the Wild West treatment. Endless songs have written legacies of this time period into history, especially with artists such as Bon Jovi giving us aptly-titled songs, like Dead or Alive, Blaze of Glory and Ride Cowboy Ride.
Wild West in games
Another area where we find constant reference to the Wild West and its whiskey-drinking, gun-slinging, saloon-going culture is in games, particularly old-school card games like poker and blackjack.
Legend has it that ‘‘Wild Bill’ Hickok was playing poker when he was shot in a saloon gunfight. The hand he was holding at the time contained black Aces and Eights and it is for this reason this two-pair poker hand is known as ‘the dead man’s hand’.
Nowadays, there are many other types of games with a fun Wild West theme. For example, El Paso Gunfight, Little Bighorn, Money Train 2 and the Dead or Alive series are all popular slot titles where you can don a cowboy hat and a pistol and get involved in your very own Wild West adventure. And if you’re interested in finding out more about these Western slots, check out this Wanted Dead or a Wild slot review, for a thorough breakdown of this brand new, smash-hit game.
Why are we still fascinated by the Wild West today?
Even though the era that we call the Wild West is long gone, there are many elements of this period that people still enjoy today. Many of us are attracted to the concepts associated with the Wild West, such as the romantic cowboy lifestyle, where you can ride horses on wide open plains and travel without limits across endless frontiers.
There’s also the excitement of lawlessness and gunfights, as well as a very distinctive fashion that is entirely unique to this time period. Things like fringed jackets, denim and of course cowboy boots and hats, are always in fashion in some form or another.
Ways to enjoy the Wild West genre
Whether you’re a seasoned fan of the Wild West, or someone who’s recently taken an interest, there are plenty of ways to get your cowboy fix. After all, this time period has its very own movie genre, and a quick search for classic Westerns should bring up titles such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Dirty Harry and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Or for something a little more modern, check out big-name movies like Django Unchained, True Grit and The Hateful Eight.
If you are into your TV series, there’s more than enough from the last few decades to keep you entertained. Popular TV shows, such as Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger and Little House on the Prairie are considered absolute classics. Or for something from the modern age, check out The English, 1923, Deadwood and Westworld.
Finally, if you like your Westerns to be a little more interactive, then check out some of the coolest games on the market. These include titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Desperados 3 and Hunt: Showdown. And of course, there are many fun slots that will let you shoot up your favourite saloon and walk away with a bundle of loot.
There are endless ways to enjoy the Western genre, and with fashion, movies, TV shows, music and games all doing their best to keep it alive, we don’t think the popularity of the Wild West is going away any time soon.
