The history of cowboys without a touch of heroism and romanticism (8 photos)

The movie image of cowboys had little in common with what happened in reality.





Typical stereotype

Cowboys are a very interesting phenomenon, which sometimes raises more questions than it answers.

These brave guys inspire and delight, make you think about free life and adventures. But why? And is this really so? Let's think together.

How do most people picture a typical cowboy? This is the image a brave guy who saves beautiful ladies, takes part in adventures, shootouts and captures of criminals. He is brave, noble and equally realistic like a unicorn jumping on a shiny rainbow in a sugar world wow, because such descriptions have nothing in common with real cowboys.

Who were cowboys then, if not noble heroes and defenders of all the poor and disadvantaged? The answer is simple - they were... shepherds. Just like that, simply, without excessive romance and unnecessary altruism. Just guys who looked after a herd of cows or horses. And which turned out to be neither more nor less, symbols of an entire era!

A little history

In general, cowboys appeared spontaneously and largely necessary. In the second half of the century before last, the era began conquest of the Wild West. Most of America living in the majority, in the East, did not know or understand at all that is happening on the other side of the country, how people live there and what they do. But some daredevils risked trying their luck in gold mining, and in cattle breeding.



Here they are - the vastness of the Wild West now. There really is room for cattle there.

After all, the West of that time was endless prairies, huge grazing areas where the herd can graze grass all year round, just moving from one place to another. That's what we needed for cowboys - horse shepherds - who looked after the herd and did not give food to the cows get lost and get separated from the general mass of animals.

And, no, the cowboys were not loners. Most often shepherds worked in groups of several people, enclosing the herd in makeshift ring. Their duties included driving the herds and security, because sometimes the herd purposefully went to another state, where the price of meat is higher.





They worked in similar groups. There were really a lot of them, because... the herds were simply huge.

The responsibility of the shepherds included caring for the animals and their protection from bandits, and branding new animals. In general, worries enough.

Reputation of cowboys at the time

And, as can already be understood from what was said earlier, the cowboys were not wonderful knights. Relatively speaking, their work was hard and... boring. There was nothing remarkable about her. The guys were paid little, so The cowboys were mostly simple hard workers without any prospects. Were there are emigrants, Indians, and homeless beggars who needed at least some pretty penny. There were also former slaves who did not know where apply after release.



A real photo of a cowboy from that time. In this case, it's a black guy who simply had nowhere to go.

For this reason, cowboys were not popular with of people. And they went to work there more out of necessity than out of a thirst for adventure. And the reputation of cowboys was... not the best.

Let's start with the fact that the guys loved to have fun and go wild. So, having received their payment for driving the herd, a group of cowboys could go on a spree and... create chaos in the city. Which is why some people even put an equal sign between cowboys and bandits.

In addition, some cowboys were bandits - in pursuit of in hard cash they were not averse to attacking colleagues and stealing from them herd. Shootouts were not uncommon - bandits could attack the group in at any time, many cowboys carried weapons with them, which were later participated in the struggle of internecine conflicts.



Archival photo from the 19th century.

And relations with bandits were not always clear. There have been cases when cowboys simply gave up the herd to the attackers groups: one’s own life is more valuable than other people’s cows. It happened that cowboys and even had a percentage for driving cattle to the slaughterhouse under the leadership of bandits, stealing cows from themselves.

In general, the image of a gallant and brave guy is bursting at the seams. No, there were brave and brave people there. But most of them, alas, did not apply.

The cinematic image of a knight without fear and reproach

But why then did cowboys become so popular? It's simple. The reason for this was Hollywood. In the thirties of the last century The American nation needed a hero. A bright image that could to rally people around him, giving them faith in the best. That any difficulties are surmountable (it was the Great Depression, and such a move was literally vital to America).



The Great Depression in the USA, archival photo. The nation needed a hero.

Who should I choose? Who in America was capable of becoming this a hero? Civil War soldiers? Everything was too ambiguous. Former slaves? Black people were still treated as second class in society. Bandits and mafia? This was too much. So the choice fell on the cowboys. There was simply no one else.

However, drunken stories of those experienced in this are few contributed. The guys who took it to their chests told amazing stories. stories about how they conquered the Wild West, fought bandits and rescued damsels in distress. In general, the language will bring you to Kyiv, and the cowboys to Hollywood.



From the former shepherds they instantly made a brand, which is now the hallmark of America. Pure coincidence - guys it was just luck.

Modern cowboys

Are there cowboys now? Eat. However, nothing in common with those Western guys, they don't. Modern American cowboys - These are completely civilized and educated people. They look after animals on farms, fed and cleaned up after them. Keep an eye on them well-being and the presence of a mark on breeding animals.



Modern cowboy farmers

In general, almost every second American farmer is now fits this concept. And this is necessary work. Important, very responsible, but has nothing in common with the image of a guy with a gun somewhere in the middle of the prairie, surrounded by Indians and bandits.

And this situation perfectly illustrates how white becomes black, and black becomes white. Of course, to say that everything Cowboys were scoundrels. But even with the real state of affairs they the film image has little in common.