Everyone knows the scene…a lone, rugged cowboy trudges across a dirt road with a pistol or two strapped into a beaten leather holster riding low at his waist. The image of a western gunslinger is popular in the media, but did you know that it was predominately created by the media? The Hollywood version of a gunslinger is vastly different from what we know to be historically correct.
During the 19th century, America was expanding and industry was growing along with it. It was a time of much chaos, since law enforcement couldn’t keep up. US marshals and county sheriffs faced the challenge of watching their territories expand beyond reason. There was too much ground to cover and not enough law enforcement officials for the job. Outlaws and bandits could easily outrun law enforcers by crossing state lines, and jails were often corrupt and easy to escape.
Authorities began offering rewards for those who brought in wanted outlaws, dead or alive. This created the rise of the hired gun, or bounty hunter. And because they would receive a reward on a “dead or alive” basis, many bounty hunters would kill their targets to minimize the danger involved. Then they would deliver the body and collect the reward.
Being a sheriff, marshal, or hired gun meant that you were skilled with a firearm and prepared to face hardened criminals. Not everyone was up for the job. This meant that many individuals who had been hired guns were hired as law enforcement officers due to their fearsome reputation. It was common for a town sheriff and a gunslinger to be one in the same, though perhaps at different times throughout their lives. These gunslingers were also hired by businesses and individuals to protect shipments, guard cattle, and any number of additional jobs that required their expertise.
This historic notion of a gunslinger paints a picture quite different from the quick-draw pistol duels you’re used to seeing in front of dusty saloons. In fact, anything resembling a European duel was extremely rare in the American west. The term gunslinger wasn’t even used back then; rather, it was a Hollywood creation that emerged in 1920. Hired guns of the time instead referred to themselves as gunmen, shootists, or pistoleers. And most of these men favored short-barreled shotguns or rifles over pistols, because the first two options offered more accuracy than handheld pistols. As outlaw Wyatt Earp said, “Fast is fine. Accurate is final.”
Tell us about your favorite film, book, or TV series depicting the Wild West. Commenting below will serve as your entry for our May giveaway. But remember to keep it classy; inappropriate comments will be deleted and disqualified. Submit your comment (one comment only please) by May 20, 2018. One winner will be randomly selected on May 21, 2018 to receive a Gunslinger 1 oz silver round from our exclusive Prospector series.
Good luck and aim true!
Tombstone…hands down.
The Outlaw Josie Wales.
Can’t beat the good ol blazing saddles.
Rawhide and The Rifleman. I liked Bonanza but seemed like those Cartwrights were always sticking their nose in other peoples business. Also love the early Gunsmokes in black and white when Matt would walk up on Boat Hill graveyard at the start and talk about Marshalling.
The Magnificent 7 with Denzel Washington! A man of honor rose up and defended a town from corruption and chaos with a little help from his friends! Great movie!
Any spaghetti westerns on a lazy Sunday afternoon
Got to be Robert Conrad and Ross Martin the original Secret Service agents in the Wild Wild West. Canceled because the gov was cracking down on tv violence while ratings still high.
i think Gunsmoke is a wildwest tv show i would prefer watching the re-runs of.
The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Is one of my favorite western movies. It was played once a year on television while growing up. Me and my Dad always watched it every time it came on.
I’ve read most of Louis L’Amour’s books. The Sackett series are my favorite.
It all started with watching The Duke and Eastwood with my dad, but eventually I found my own favorites. Tomstone is by far my favorite.
The Outlaw Josie Wells was the best depiction of post Civil War America.
Paint Your Wagon … Clint Eastwood sings!
Unforgiven with good ol’ Clint Eastwood is my favorite.
Doc holiday 4 lyfe. My wife’s father was buried next to big nosed kate at a cemetery in New York this year (that was his gal)
Dances With Wolves all the way. Love those wide open spaces and the meeting between two cultures.
Young Guns. When one could afford to go to the movie theatre.
Django unchained with Leonardo Dicaprio.
Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in TOMBSTONE is really good. some of my favorite quotes are…
Im your Huckleberry and Your a Daisy if you do. GREAT movie!
Blazing saddles for a great western laugh.
I like the movie The left-handed gun if memory serves me correctly Paul Newman starred in. Would love to see it again after all these years.
The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner and an all star cast. Tough guys on the outside with a soft spot for the underdog!
Every Western movie that Clint Eastwood was in was a great movie. One of my favorites is Unforgiven.
Tombstone. Making things right when there is so much wrong!
My fave: The good the bad and the ugly with Clint Eastwood
West World is my pick!
My Name Is Nobody with Terence Hill and Henry Fonda.
Love’s Abiding Joy
I love A. B. Guthries novels… My favorite is The Big Sky… Great movie as well. The Hateful Eight is also an amazing film. I find tales of the good Ole wild west fascinating part of the history of our country.
I grew up watching John Wayne. A big fan!