12 Hollywood Myths About Cowboys That Many Still Believe

The era of the cowboys, the main representatives of the American Old West, lasted just over two decades. During that time, the gallant lassoed knights did everything to become a symbol of American culture. Western protagonists influenced the world with their hats and boots, and even today continue to inspire fashion designers.

We, from incredible.club, in addition to loving movies about the Wild West, we also like to unravel the truth of the facts. That is why we decided to debunk the main myths about cowboys, formed thanks to Hollywood cinema.

We are all familiar with this cinematographic scenario: a heartthrob with a gun on his waist, riding into the sunset. It basically symbolizes America’s desire to embark on an endless journey westward. But in fact, the term “cowboy” itself originated in the Old World and was first used in 1725 by the writer Jonathan Swift, to describe young men who herded cows in rural or family communities.

The direct predecessors of North American cowboys were the Mexican cowboys, who began herding cattle on horseback. His lazo (slipknotted rope) became the lasso, his chaparajo became the chaparreira, and his sombrero became the famous broad-brimmed hat.

In the movies, cowboys conquered new territories, where they established their own rules. But this is only partially true. Until the 1860s, most farmers raised cattle mainly for themselves and not for sale. Most of these people lived in Texas, where huge herds roamed freely throughout the state and could be captured and taken away by anyone, as the demand for beef was low.

However, in 1865, a meat processing plant opened in Chicago, and demand for the product increased. Soon, cattle could be sold to markets in the north of the country for as much as $40 a head. In addition, it became profitable to transport livestock by rail. However, there were tracks only in Kansas and not in Texas. The route from state to state became known as the Chisholm Trail. Its length was about 1,000 miles (1,600 km). The cowboys’ job was to lead the herd this way, not conquer unknown lands.

In the westerns, we see cowboys constantly fighting the Indians. The native Indian population and newcomers to the Wild West did indeed have several conflicts. But cattle drivers had nothing to do with it. Often, they needed to cross the lands of the Indians, who charged a fee for the cattle that passed through their territory. Most of the time, they hired indigenous people to help them with the herd crossing rivers, or in search of lost cows and oxen. Therefore, there were many Indians among the cowboys.

In the cinematographic world, we see adult men, whose faces are full of expression marks, proving the hard life in the Old West. In reality, cowboys were young men who needed money. Often among them were 12- to 13-year-olds, children of ranchers who saw cattle driving not only as a way to earn money, but also as a form of initiation.

There were also women among the cowboys. For the most part, they just accompanied their husbands, traveling in wagons. However, there were exceptions: in 1888, a young woman named Willie Matthews disguised herself as a young man and worked, rode and galloped with the rest of the group.

In movies, it’s hard to imagine cowboys without a revolver in their hands. Indeed, in the Wild West, cattle drivers often did not carry weapons. Many of the trail bosses demanded that their workers not carry them, fearing that the shots would cause panic among the animals. Additionally, guns were banned in some settlements in Texas and Kansas.

Contrary to stereotypes about cowboys, there were no shootouts during the cattle transport. At least no evidence was found. In general, the crime rate in the Old West was significantly lower than what the movies show.

Judging by the cinematographic works, it must be very cool to be a cowboy. These Wild West heroes were loved by women, feared by villains, and respected by all. But outside of fiction, unfortunately, this was not the case. In the 19th century, herding was an occupation for people of low social status.

Texas newspapers warned good citizens against “that wandering class of worthless fellows” who “may forget the difference between ‘mine’ and ‘yours’.” The cowboys’ fees were very low: there was only enough money for food, a place to sleep, and little left over for other expenses.

In fiction, cowboy work is full of adventure and a spirit of true freedom. But in reality, driving cattle is monotonous and exhausting work. Instead of free thinking and independence, there was a lot of discipline and strict control. One of them complained: “The journey that was once so exciting and full of adventure has become indescribably sad and exhausting.”

The trips lasted from three to six months. Cowboys often spent three days or more in the saddle without sleep. Food was sparse and repetitive: beans and crackers. They almost didn’t eat meat, because the cattle they drove were the client’s profit and under no circumstances should they be touched.

During travels, they used this type of makeshift kitchen.

The lonely cowboy is a classic character in cinematographic works. In fact, the cattle were always accompanied by a group of herders who, together, separated and counted the animals. It took 12 cowboys, each with a minimum of four horses, to guide a herd of 2,000 to 3,000 head of cattle along the Chisholm Trail.

The cowboy is merciful with women, reserved with strangers, generous with friends and cruel with enemies. He is justice incarnate, and to protect the weak, they would even break the law. At least that’s how we see cowboys in the movies. There is even a cowboy code that prescribes being honest, kind to women, children, the elderly and animals, and always ready to help anyone in trouble. However, the author of this set of rules is not a cowboy, but country music singer Gene Autry.

During the Chisholm Trail era, there were no codes of conduct. Of course there were noble cowboy nobles, but that’s not to say that all of them were some kind of Robin Hood of the Wild West.

It’s hard to imagine the main characters of westerns without their faithful horses, but many cowboys didn’t have their own animals. Usually farmers provided them.

Also, many cattle drivers preferred camels to horses. In the 1950s, the government bought these animals to be moved to the west of the country. The herd was in Texas. Over time camels spread and lived freely, until they were captured again and used as a means of transport.

There are so many movies about cowboys that we are under the false impression that they have existed for over a hundred years. However, they were a consequence of the post-war economy and, as such, did not last long: approximately from 1865 to 1890.

In the 1890s, land disputes in the Wild West were resolved and much of the common rangeland was privatized. The territories began to be fenced with barbed wire, which kept the herd in place. The services of long-distance cattle herders became unnecessary.

In late 1886 and early 1887, temperatures dropped below freezing in western parts of the country. Many scholars believe this was the beginning of the end of the cowboy era. Cattle driving work continued, but on a smaller scale, until the mid-20th century. Most cowboys gave up traveling the states for a living and were hired by the ranchers.

We’re used to seeing cowboys in movies wearing wide-brimmed hats, flannel shirts, star-studded boots, and sometimes a fancy pistol. But in reality, they dressed that way just to take pictures, which ended up in newspapers, galleries and archives across the country. And it was these images that fed the idea far from reality, of what the real “prairie knights” were like.

Why do you think cowboys became a symbol of American culture?