Hey there! I’m John Green, and welcome to my saloon! Today, we’re diving into some wild and wacky facts about the Wild West. Did you know that camels once roamed the Wild West? Back in the 1850s, the U.S. Army brought about 70 camels from the Middle East to the Southwest to help carry heavy loads. However, they eventually escaped or were sold off. Imagine seeing camels in the desert back then!
Let’s talk about the Bowie knife, named after Jim Bowie, a Wild West legend. In 1827, Jim used this knife to win a fight after being shot and stabbed multiple times. Interestingly, the knife was designed by his brother, Rezin Bowie, and became super popular in the Wild West because it was so effective.
Elmer McCurdy was a robber whose story took a bizarre turn after his death. His embalmed body was used as a prop in haunted houses and carnivals for about 60 years! People forgot he was once a real person until 1976, when his body was discovered on the set of The Six Million Dollar Man.
In 1892, Ben Sublett passed away, taking with him the secret location of a gold mine in West Texas. He claimed to have found a canyon full of gold nuggets, but after his death, no one could find it again. It’s one of those Wild West mysteries that still intrigues people today.
The Pony Express is a famous part of Wild West history, but it only lasted a year and a half, from 1860 to 1861, and lost about $200,000. Cowboys, on the other hand, were essential for moving cattle from Texas to the northern U.S., where beef prices were high. They traveled about 15 miles a day to keep the cattle healthy. Cowboys were basically herders, but their journeys were long and dangerous.
Did you know that about a quarter of cowboys were Black men? Many also worked as cooks on the long cattle drives. Cowboys even had cursing contests, where they would gather to throw creative insults at each other. Their language was often inspired by religious phrases, which is quite different from what we might hear today.
One of the most famous sharpshooters was Annie Oakley. She was so skilled that she paid off her mom’s mortgage by selling hunted animals. Annie once performed for Sitting Bull, a Native American leader known for defeating General Custer. Sitting Bull was so impressed that he paid $65 for a photo with her. He later joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and became quite famous himself.
Buffalo Bill got his nickname from a buffalo shooting contest, though the story might be exaggerated. Billy the Kid, another famous outlaw, reportedly worked at a cheese factory before turning to crime. Butch Cassidy, known for his criminal exploits, once stole a pair of jeans and left an IOU!
Crazy Horse, like Sitting Bull, was a Native American warrior who fought against General Custer. A massive memorial is being built in his honor in South Dakota, but it has been under construction since 1948 and is still not finished.
Calamity Jane’s name origin is a mystery. Some say she got it when she was eight after her parents died. As for Jesse and Frank James, they were outlaws, but the idea that they were like Robin Hood is probably a myth. They stole a lot of money, but there’s no proof they gave it to anyone but themselves.
Judge Roy Bean was a saloon owner and justice of the peace in Texas. He was known for his unusual ways, like fining a dead man for carrying a concealed weapon. In Creede, Colorado, two fires in 1896 destroyed much of the town, but it was rebuilt and can still be visited today.
Tombstone, Arizona, got its name from its founder, Ed Schieffelin, who was told he’d only find his “tombstone” while searching for silver. He proved them wrong by discovering a silver mine, which he named Tombstone. The town’s newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph, has been around since 1880 and still shares Wild West stories.
While the Wild West is often seen as lawless, there were many private groups that kept order, like land clubs and cattlemen’s associations. These weren’t official governments, but they played a big role in maintaining peace.
Thanks for joining me on this Wild West adventure! If you enjoyed these facts, be sure to check out more videos on Wild West myths. And remember, stay awesome!
Research and create a timeline of key events from the Wild West era. Include events like the introduction of camels, the Pony Express, and famous figures like Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill. Use images and brief descriptions to make your timeline engaging.
Using paper and art supplies, design your own version of the Bowie knife. Think about what features would make it effective and unique. Present your design to the class and explain why it would have been useful in the Wild West.
Choose a mystery from the Wild West, like Ben Sublett’s gold mine, and write a short story imagining how it might have been solved. Use creative writing techniques to bring the story to life and share it with your classmates.
In groups, create a short skit that depicts a day in the life of a cowboy. Include activities like cattle herding, cooking, and participating in a cursing contest. Perform your skit for the class and discuss what you learned about cowboy life.
Research the contributions of Native American figures like Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull during the Wild West era. Create a presentation or poster that highlights their achievements and impact. Share your findings with the class to promote understanding and appreciation.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon, or should I say saloon? This is a Mental Floss video, and did you know that there were camels in the Wild West? Around the 1850s, the U.S. Army actually imported about 70 of them from the Middle East to the Southwest. They were often used to carry heavy loads from place to place, but in the end, they either escaped or were sold. I hope we get to see some camels in season two of *Westworld*.
Anyway, that’s the first of many facts about the Wild West I’m going to share with you today. The Bowie knife was named after a Wild West figure, Jim Bowie. In 1827, he used one to win a fight after having been shot and stabbed repeatedly. The knife was actually created by Jim’s brother, Rezin Bowie, and the design became very popular in the Wild West due to its efficiency.
The robber Elmer McCurdy ended up becoming a legend after his corpse was embalmed for around 60 years. He was used as a haunted house prop, carnival attraction, and wax museum artifact. Eventually, it was forgotten that he had once been an actual person until 1976, when his body was found on the *Six Million Dollar Man* set when a limb broke off, revealing that the prop was, in fact, a corpse.
In 1892, a man named Ben Sublett died, and with his death, we supposedly lost the location of a secret gold mine in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. Both he and another man claimed to have found a canyon containing tons of gold nuggets, and allegedly, he even brought friends there, but after he died, it was never found again.
The Pony Express is a pretty famous staple of Wild West stories, but it never actually made any money and was only around for a year and a half, between 1860 and 1861. It’s believed that the company lost around $200,000 in total. When you think about the Wild West, you probably think about cowboys, but they existed for a pretty mundane reason. In the northern U.S., beef prices were really high, and there were tons of cattle in Texas, so cowboys were tasked with moving them north.
Honestly, we’ve mythologized the cowboy a lot in American history, but they were basically just herders. To be fair, the trip north was long, slow, and dangerous. Cowboys and their herds went about 15 miles a day to avoid excessive weight loss in the cattle. There were even traffic jams, particularly on the Santa Fe Trail in the 1860s, as thousands of cattle and their accompanying cowboys and wagons utilized the trail at the same time.
Some cowboys had cursing contests, gathering together to throw insults at each other, though their language was more religiously inspired than what we might use today. You may not know this, especially if you get all your Wild West knowledge from the movies, but about a quarter of cowboys were Black men. Additionally, many Black men worked as cooks on the long journeys north.
Let’s move on to some famous people of the Wild West. Of course, there’s Annie Oakley, known for her impressive shooting skills. In fact, she had those abilities when she was just a teenager. She hunted and sold enough animals to a local store that she was able to pay off her mom’s $200 mortgage.
Annie Oakley once performed for Sitting Bull, who was famous for defeating George Custer in 1876. After watching Oakley shoot, Sitting Bull wanted to take a picture with her so badly that he was willing to pay $65. Sitting Bull joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in 1885 and was quite famous himself, earning around $2 for autographs.
Speaking of Buffalo Bill, he allegedly got his nickname in an eight-hour buffalo shooting contest. Many believe the contest happened because there were two Buffalo Bills vying for the title of the better buffalo killer. That said, like a lot of Wild West stories, we’re not sure that one’s actually true, and Buffalo Bill was known for his tendency to exaggerate.
Billy the Kid had an interesting job early in his life; some say he worked at a cheese factory owned by one of his future partners in crime. Another famous outlaw, Butch Cassidy, had an interesting first foray into crime when he stole a pair of jeans in 1880 and left behind an IOU.
Why does everyone in the Wild West have such awesome names? Butch Cassidy, Elmer McCurdy, Rezin Bowie—what were their parents thinking?
Back to the Wild West: like Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse was another Native American warrior famous for fighting against General Custer. A memorial is being built to Crazy Horse in South Dakota, and when it’s finished, it’s supposed to be the largest sculpture in the world. The problem is it was started in 1948 and still hasn’t been completed.
Speaking of great names, we don’t know how Calamity Jane got her name. One legend is that she was dubbed that when she was eight years old after both of her parents died, but there’s no way to know for sure. On the topic of legends, it’s probably a misconception that Jesse and Frank James were Robin Hood types. Some argue they stole money from the rich and gave it to the poor, but they took around $200,000 in total, and there’s no proof that they gave it to anyone besides themselves.
Jesse James had his remains exhumed in 1995. He died in 1882, and some people believed his death was faked and that it wasn’t really him in his grave. Scientists conducted DNA tests on the body buried in Missouri, and it was confirmed to be the real Jesse James.
One Wild West figure you may not have heard of is Judge Roy Bean. He ran a saloon in Texas and was also a justice of the peace. He became somewhat famous for how he acted in that role. For instance, he once discovered that a corpse had a concealed weapon, so he charged the dead man with a $40 fine.
In April of 1896, there were two fires in the mining town of Creede, Colorado, just four days apart. The first was caused by a stove in a dance hall and ruined eight blocks of the town. The second fire destroyed much of what was left, leaving over a third of the town homeless. However, Creede did get rebuilt, and you can still visit it today.
A similar thing happened to the Gem Theater in Deadwood, South Dakota. There was a fire in the summer of 1879, and it was repaired only to catch fire again in September of that year. It stayed open for a few years after that, but then there was another fire in 1899, and it closed for good.
While we’re on the subject of famous towns in the Wild West, Tombstone, Arizona, has an interesting name origin story. The legend goes that its founder, Ed Schieffelin, went out looking for silver and other valuable rocks in the area. His peers would always stay behind, telling him, “The only stone you’ll find out there will be your tombstone.” Eventually, he discovered a silver mine and named it Tombstone.
By the way, the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper has been running since 1880 and now puts out monthly issues focusing on stories from the Wild West. It’s good to see some cold, hard journalism still being done.
Finally, while we view the Wild West as an extremely violent, lawless place, there were actually many types of private agencies making rules and demanding that people follow them. According to economic historian Thomas J.D. Lorenzo, these weren’t governments because they did not have a legal monopoly on keeping order. Instead, they included organizations such as land clubs, cattlemen’s associations, mining camps, and wagon trains. So, while they weren’t governments per se, a good wagon train could keep you in order.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss, which is made with the help of all of these lovely people. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please make sure to check out our other video on Wild West misconceptions. And as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Wild West – The term used to describe the western United States during the late 19th century, known for its lawlessness and frontier lifestyle. – Many stories about the Wild West include tales of cowboys and outlaws.
Cowboys – Men who herded and tended cattle on ranches, especially in the western United States during the late 1800s. – Cowboys played a crucial role in the cattle industry, driving herds across long distances to railheads.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Learning about history helps us understand how past societies have shaped our world today.
Gold Mine – A place where gold is extracted from the ground, often associated with the Gold Rush era in the 19th century. – The discovery of a gold mine in California in 1848 sparked a massive migration known as the Gold Rush.
Pony Express – A mail service that used horseback riders to deliver messages across the United States quickly, operating from 1860 to 1861. – The Pony Express significantly reduced the time it took for mail to travel from Missouri to California.
Native American – The indigenous peoples of the United States, who lived in the country long before European settlers arrived. – Native American tribes had diverse cultures and societies before the arrival of Europeans.
Outlaws – People who broke the law and often lived outside the reach of legal authorities, especially in the Wild West. – Jesse James was one of the most notorious outlaws of the Wild West era.
Buffalo Bill – A famous American scout, bison hunter, and showman known for his Wild West shows. – Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows brought the excitement of the frontier to audiences around the world.
Judge Roy Bean – A saloonkeeper and Justice of the Peace in Texas, known for his unconventional and often humorous rulings. – Judge Roy Bean was known as “The Law West of the Pecos” for his unique approach to justice.
Calamity Jane – A frontierswoman known for her sharpshooting skills and association with Wild Bill Hickok. – Calamity Jane became a legendary figure of the Wild West due to her adventurous life and storytelling.
