Untamed Facts About The Wild West
“For my handling of the situation at Tombstone, I have no regrets. Were it to be done again, I would do it exactly as I did it at the time.” —Wyatt Earp, lawman
When we talk about the American Frontier, we’re talking about a period of Westward Expansion in the United States that began with English Colonial settlements of the early 17th century and ended when the last territories became States in 1912, and all the history and culture that comes with it.
Geographically, the frontier refers to the settlement of the Indian lands west of the Mississippi which are the present-day Midwest, Texas, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, and the West Coast.
In the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century, the media focused largely on the American West, which is sometimes called the Wild West or the Old West.
This led to an entire genre of books and film devoted to the drama and romance of the period, as well as comic books and toys. Below are 47 wild facts about the American Frontier.
Wild West Facts
47. Holy Man/Tribal Chief
Sitting Bull was a tribal chief of the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux Tribe. Because of his defiance against the US government, he became symbolic of the struggles between the government and the natives.
In 1876, he and his people were able to defeat General Custer’s army in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Finally surrendering in 1881, he joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
In December of 1890, he was shot by police in an arrest attempt prompted by Indian Agents who feared he would try to escape.
46. Apache Leader
Native American leader Geronimo was fought against Mexico and the US in their efforts to expand into the Apache tribal lands in what is now Arizona.
He led several raids against both of them after his wife and children were killed by Mexican troops in the 1850s. He was given his name for his bravery in battle, where he killed several Mexicans with a knife amid flying bullets.
Settlers believed he was the “worst Indian who ever lived,” but after his surrender to US troops in 1886, he converted to Christianity and even rode in Teddy Roosevelt’s inaugural parade.
45. The Wild Bunch
Because of the movie named after them, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are frequently mentioned together.
But it was actually Cassidy who founded the gang known as The Wild Bunch, of which the Sundance Kid was a member, alongside gunslingers Kid Curry and the Tall Texan.
