Handgun Carry in the Old West

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I wish that I had the time to come out there to view some of the historic landmarks that you have out there Iggy. That and to be able to sit around and shoot the bull with you about SE Wyoming would be priceless.
 
336A
The latch string is always out. I'll even buy you a beer.
We could do some comparin' .41 magnums while we are at it. *G*
I've lived in an interesting time.
Grew up around men who had ridden on both sides of the law back at the turn of the last century, drove the Cheyenne to Deadwood stage coach, and watched men land on the moon.

Here's a little readin' material if you're interested.

http://home.bresnan.net/~buflerchip/
 
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Old Fuff said:
After the dangers associated with the frontier years had passed many of the larger ranches and some smaller ones prohibited the carrying of revolvers during round up. This is not only attested to in contemporary writing but also photographs taken at the time as well. Hollywood of course would never stand for this, but the fact was that a six-shooter wasn't (and isn’t) necessary to round up cattle and brand the critters.

The guns in question didn’t necessarily end up in some rancher’s safe, but were simply left behind in the bunkhouse.

That said, some ranches outright prohibited handguns as a condition of employment, and cowboys that didn’t own one were common. Rifles and carbines were another matter.
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All of this sounds correct. This has been an interesting thread, minus all the talk about Cowboy Action Shooting. I do good to stay on my pony, much less fire handguns near his rather sensitive ears. :)
 
Here's an old Thutty-thutty rifle that rode in my wife's Great Granddad's saddle scabbard from Missouri to Northern Wyoming and Montana and back.
Winchester94.gif
He worked on ranches out here for a year or so and then returned to his folk's farm in Missouri.
The rifle was given to me by his Son to bring back out to Wyoming where he said it belonged.
The bead front sight is nearly worn completely off from riding in the saddle scabbard.
 
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Iggy, I truly envy you. I've been thru that country more than a couple times and always said i'd live in co. wy. or montana. I really love soaking up the history. I kinda favored the jackson hole area.

Thats a gorgeous rifle!! And well cared for
 
I would think that firearms were probably more of the norm in the earlier years from about the end of the Civil War to somewhere in the 1870s..... once the west started becoming more populated and fenced, there would be less need.

Anyways, someone posted a link and I clicked through some other stories and thought this was a pretty good one. http://home.bresnan.net/~buflerchip/gunsight.htm
 
I too have enjoyed the discussion/information of this thread, and I apologize for inadvertently adding the SASS debate to the mix. I don't really see a constant theme in the carry issue, mainly because there was such differing rules/regulations/needs, much like today. One can travel from my home state (Indiana) where open carry is legal and socially accepted, to Illinois where it is a statewide felony to even carry. We see some that conceal their weapon, both legal and otherwise, then we have LEO's who still carry a brace of handguns (Duty + BUG). If someone 200 years from now would dig up old pictures of us, they'd see the same mix of options.

Ya'll stay safe.............LD:cool:
 
BBQLS1,

I got to know ol Bill quite well when I attended college in Laramie. He had a motel and restaurant/tourist trap store at the edge of town. He had highway signs touting the "Last Train Robber" angle on them on either side of Laramie.

He sat at the cash register wearing a black 10 gallon hat and an Elmer Keith glare all day every day. He kept a Colt's Thunderer on the shelf below the cash register.
He gave me the gun when he closed the place and moved back east to live with his family.

Thunderer.gif


bsms

I'm with you Podner, My Momma raised some dummies, but they was my sister.
 
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Later in time, but in the spirit of armed storekeepers, I once had a little Colt 1903 .32 with a patent hip pocket holster. The holster was made with spring wire "wings" to lock into the corners of the hip pocket so you would not draw the leather with the steel.
The rig had belonged to the owner of an old fashioned hardware store. He wore a smock that was concealment for the gun and spent most of the day on his feet, so the hip pocket holster was not in the way and could not be out of reach like the usual gun under the cash box. He foiled at least one robber with it.
 
I've worked on farms and I can't imagine carrying while fencing, digging, doing chores, etc. I imagine back then that the gun spent a lot of time in the saddlebags or the bunkhouse just like it spends a lot of time in the pickup now. On the farm I worked on it spent time in the office but it was a dairy farm.
I spent a lot of time treeplanting too, sometimes real far from civilization and the gun, if there was one, was in the bosses trailer. We once had to borrow a gun from the local logging camp to deal with a problem bear. Probably the same kind of thing back then.
 
Rules for the XIT Ranch

No employee of the Company, or of any contractor doing work for the Company, is permitted to carry on or about his person or in his saddle bags, any pistol, dirk, dagger, sling shot, knuckles, bowie knife or any other similar instruments for offense or defense.

Card playing and gambling of every description, whether engaged in by employees, or by persons not in the service of the Company is strictly forbidden.

Employees are strictly forbidden the use of vinous, malt, spirituous, or intoxicating liquors, during their time of service with the Company.

Loafers, “sweaters”, deadbeats, tramps, gamblers, or disreputable persons, must not be entertained at any camp, nor will employees be permitted to give, loan or sell such persons any grain, or provisions of any kind, nor shall such persons be permitted to remain on the Company’s land under any pretext whatever.

Employees are not allowed to run mustang, antelope or any kind of game on the Company’s horses.

No employee shall be permitted to own any cattle or stock horses on the ranch.

It is the aim of the owners of this ranch to conduct it on the principle of right and justice to everyone; and for it to be excelled by no other in the good behavior, sterling honesty and integrity, and general high character of its employees, and to this end it is necessary that the forgoing rules be adhered to, and the violation of any of them will be the just charge for discharge.
 
I've worked on farms and I can't imagine carrying while fencing, digging, doing chores, etc.
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I can't imagine NOT carrying while doing farm chores. You guys lucky enough to live in "snake-free" zones or what??? Like Clint Smith says, you don't do it because it's comfortable, but because it's comfort-ing. It baffles me that most here probably carry concealed while going on about their business in town or at work. Yet it's a bigger hassle to carry openly in the great outdoors??? Please.
 
The reason for those rules was pretty simple. No rancher wanted a bunch of drunked up cowboys shooting up the bunkhouse and each other. And experience showed that many fights erupted over card games.

Jim
 
My stepfather grew up in the texas panhandle in the 30s. He said cowboys usually couldn`t afford revolvers and if they did they couldn`t afford the ammo. Those that had then kept them in a secure location in an oiled cloth.
 
When I need to dispose of a large rattlesnake, my shovel is the best tool out there. I keep a .22 in my saddle bag for table meat, and another type of firearm for "social purposes" well hidden.
 
Irrelevant, immaterial and inadmissible.:cool:

Well since Ol Fuff caught me, I'll post this one again.
RattlesnakeDen-1.gif
:what:
A six gun ain't a gonna git it here.
 
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Iggy!!!!

You stop posting those kind of pictures...! You'll scare all of our tourists away. :evil:

Oh, and out where I am far more rattle (as well as other) snakes have gone to they're happy hunting ground because of shovels then pistolas.
 
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