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Old West Legends and Myths You’ve Never Heard Of
The Old West lives on through classic Westerns, legendary characters, and mythical stories. Also known as the American Frontier, that period of time revolved around the surge of development in the North American mainland during the 17th century. It was a time when Old West legends and myths became American folklore.
After the Louisiana Purchase, the government encouraged Americans to head to the West and seek our their fortune. It gave rise to a controversial concept known as manifest destiny, with the belief that Americans had a mission to spread their way of life across the country.
Some historians consider the Old West, or Wild West, from the end of the American Civil War in 1865 to the early 1900s. Other historians place the Old West period from the 1600s to 1912. Whichever way you look at it, the Wild West was a fascinating time in American history, turning icons into legends and legends into myths. The Old West folklore continues to inspire and intrigue as you will discover below.
1. The Notorious Jesse James Wasn’t a Wild West Robin Hood
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Outlaw and bank robber Jesse James was an icon and symbol of the Old West. James was wildly popular, developing a reputation as a Robin Hood character who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Modern historians debunked that theory noting there’s zero proof James shared his loot with anyone other than the gang members he rode with.
James fought alongside his brother for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he joined various gangs before forming the James-Younger gang. In 1869, James caught the attention of pro-Confederate Missouri newspaper editor John Newman Edwards. He created the image of James as a Southern patriot. Edwards used his newspaper articles to invent the mythology of James as a Robin Hood hero. Robert Ford famously murdered Jesse James in 1882, shooting him in the back to collect a large reward.
2. The Legend of American Folk Icon Davy Crockett
American folk icon Davy Crockett was one of the Old West’s greatest mythical figures. Also known as the “King of the Wild Frontier,” Crockett won the 1827 election to serve on the U.S. House of Representatives. His opposition to the Indian Removal Act resulted in him losing his seat. He also played a vital role in the Texas Revolution.
Crockett’s death added to his mystique. He died on the morning of the battle of the Alamo in 1836. There are differing accounts regarding his death. One version claims Crockett died a hero fighting until his last breath. Another version claims he surrendered, with the Mexican army executing him later. Both versions have an ample amount of evidence to support their claim. Regardless, he remains an American icon.
3. The Strange Journey of Elmer McCurdy
Elmer McCurdy was a well-known bank and train robber who died after a shootout in 1911. In death, McCurdy became a legend of the Old West. His body went on a strange journey across the American Frontier. Known as the “Bandit Who Wouldn’t Give Up,” the local funeral home put his body on display for all to see as a warning for criminals.
In 1916, the Patterson brothers scammed the funeral home out of the mummified body to serve as the centerpiece of their traveling circus. Over the next few years, the body of McCurdy appeared in B-movies and at wax museums before disappearing completely.
In 1976, the crew of the Six Million Dollar Man TV series rediscovered McCurdy’s body hanging in the funhouse at the Pike amusement park in California. After this discovery, his body received a proper burial and grave site.
4. The Life of Folk Hero Wild Bill Hickok
In the history of the American Old West, Wild Bill Hickok is arguably the greatest folk hero. He was everything from a gunslinger and lawman to a gambler and showman. In addition to fighting in the American Civil War for the Union Army, he claimed to have won hundreds of gunfights. It turned out that much of Hickok’s life story contained fabrications and outright lies.
Hickok was only ever in a handful of gunfights, but he was always quick to tell extraordinary tales about his exploits, helping create the myth surrounding his persona and turning him into a folk hero.
In 1876, a failed gambler, Jack McCall, murdered Hickok while playing poker. According to folklore, Hickok was holding two pairs: black aces and eights, now known as the dead man’s hand.
5. The Tale of Lawman Wyatt Earp
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The legendary lawman Wyatt Earp is unlike the other icons of the Old West. During his lifetime, Earp was one of the most hated people alive. Earp was a lawman and gunslinger who lived in notable Old West towns such as Deadwood, Dodge City, and, most famously, Tombstone City. In Tombstone, Earp joined his brothers, James and Deputy US Marshal Virgil, in their feud with The Cowboys, culminating in the famous shootout at the OK Corral.
Following the events in Tombstone, newspapers began disparaging and heavily criticizing Earp. It only worsened when he refereed the controversial 1896 Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Tom Shakey fight. The negative press increased, claiming Earp was corrupt. Even when he died in 1929, news reports focused on his role in the Fitzsimmons vs. Shakey fight. It wasn’t until the 1931 book Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal that his reputation as a legendary lawman began to take shape, although there are still doubts about many of the myths surrounding Earp.
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6. The Legend of Buffalo Bill Cody
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William Fredrick Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, is synonymous with the American Old West. He was a bison hunter and soldier who fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cody gained his famous nickname, Buffalo Bill, after supposedly killing over 4,000 bison in 18 months. He later defeated hunter Bill Comstock in a buffalo shooting match to win the nickname.
The legend of Buffalo Bill began to take shape in 1869 after a meeting with journalist Ned Buntline. Buntline published fabricated articles detailing Bill’s wild adventures in New York Weekly. These fictional stories helped create Cody’s mythology. Cody cemented his legacy by starring in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West touring show, going on to found the town of Cody in Wyoming.
7. The Mythology of Calamity Jane
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The myth of sharpshooter and frontierswoman Calamity Jane is vital to the American Frontier. Born Martha Jane Cannary in 1852, Calamity Jane was a skilled storyteller who created her own myth. Jane had a reputation for drinking heavily, wearing men’s clothes, and being a daredevil. Historians have a difficult time telling Jane’s truth from reality. For instance, Jane claims she formed a tight friendship with Wild Bill Hickok while living in Deadwood, South Dakota. She went as far as to claim to have married Hickok, but Jane arrived in Deadwood a few months before Hickok’s death, meaning she most likely never met him.
Additionally, she offered a dubious explanation for her famous nickname. She claimed Captain Egan gave her the name after she saved his life during a battle with Native Americans, but many doubt her version of events, with some believing there was never a Captain named Egan. Jane would go on to become a regular in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, ensuring her place as a Wild West legend.
8. The Fate of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy was one of the Wild West’s most notorious train and bank robbers. Cassidy was at the height of his notoriety and power as the leader of the Wild Bunch. In the early 1900s, the Pinkerton Detective Agency was closing in on Cassidy and his good friend the Sundance Kid (Harry Longabaugh).
So the duo escaped to South America with the Sundance Kid’s companion Etta Place. While in Argentina, Cassidy and Longabaugh died in a shootout with the Bolivian Army in 1908. The events surrounding the shootout and Cassidy’s fate remain controversial, as many believed Cassidy had escaped.
By the 1930s, rumors were running rampant that Cassidy had survived the shootout and returned to the United States in the 1920s, with relatives claiming he visited them before his actual death in 1937.
9. The Tales of Kit Carson
During his lifetime, Kit Carson was the ultimate American frontiersman. He left his home at 16 to become a fur trader and later fought in the Mexican-American war and the American Civil War. His world-famous adventures turned his legend into a myth of epic proportions.
Like many of his contemporaries, he helped create his own myth by recounting fictional and fabricated tales of his adventures. News reports and dime novels further pushed the legend of the heroic Kit Carson, who cleared the way for American expansion.
In 1950, several writers attempted to cement his legacy as a hero of the Old West. As modern historians have pointed out, evidence revealed Carson was known for the horrible mistreatment of Native Americans. Soon, many people realized Carson wasn’t the hero he claimed to be and his legend became one of a harsh, violent, and racist man.
10. The Myth of John Wesley Hardin
The Texas Rangers had many enemies, but few compared with the ruthless John Wesley Hardin. While contemporary accounts paint Hardin as a folk hero, modern historians disagree. Hardin boasted about his many accomplishments, often embellishing or lying about his adventures. What is known about Hardin is that he was a violent killer who murdered 27 people, although he claimed the number was 42.
He went to prison in 1877, where he wrote an autobiography that fabricated most of his life, creating the myth around him. Hardin engaged in numerous acts of violence during his life and even killed a man for snoring. But many of his claims remain unverified, such as shooting a man’s eye out to win a bottle of whiskey, claiming to fight off 17 Texas Rangers alone, and killing two Pinkerton Agents.
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