When you think of western cowboys, what do you think of? I know that I think of John Wayne and the roles he played in Saturday morning westerns, handsome, rugged, rough around the edges rebel-like cowboys drinking till they're drunk and hitting on pretty women, bar fights, Indian fights, and shootouts in the street. Cowboys seemed to have a pretty daring and adventurous way of living. We're given that idea because Hollywood has glorified the lifestyle of western cowboys a tremendous amount. The old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words," pertains to Erwin E. Smith's cowboy collection perfectly. Smith's photography captured the true life led by western cowboys in the 1800s.
Cowboys had one of the hardest, if not the hardest job of their time. Most often, the men who chose to be cowboys were young and single. They traveled from country side to country side and from town to town either in small groups or all alone herding their cattle, breaking in horses, and tending to other daily activities. Not only that, they worked long days and nights, which meant they had to be determined, trustworthy, dedicated, and hard-working to pull through.
There were no public restrooms, no beds to sleep on, doctors were almost always faraway, they barely saw their families, and where they would sleep was not always known. Weather and terrain were obstacles, as well. The hot sun, dry climates in some areas, thunderstorms, mountains, rivers, and cold winter months. Due to the environment that they lived in, cowboys were more susceptible to diseases and they chewed tobacco. Ew!
Even though Hollywood glorified the lifestyle of cowboys, they did get one thing right. The dress code. Cowboys are most often seen wearing long pants or jeans, a cowboy hat, boots, chaps, a bandanna, a plaid shirt, sometimes a vest, and a gun belt around their waste. Way to go Hollywood! Wait a minute, Hollywood got two things right. Horses were the main transportation for cowboys because they could get around quickly and efficiently. There's no way they'd be able to do everything on foot.
Whenever you watch old westerns on Saturday morning, just remember that Hollywood doesn't always get it right. Cowboys weren't exactly what they were cracked up to be. They were much more.
