Old West, Old West, Wild West, Far West or the Frontier, are the terms with which the historical events that took place in the 19th century during the expansion of the border of the United States of America towards the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The goal of reaching the west coast was mainly due to the government initiative of President Thomas Jefferson, after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The expansion of the border was considered as a search for opportunities and progress.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the West was considered a wild and inhospitable territory, with few possibilities of being inhabited. This opinion was not influenced by the fact that the Amerindian peoples had lived there for several millennia. A politician from Missouri called Thomas Hart Benton defended the colonization alleging that its purpose was to bring to all peoples "great and wonderful benefits through science, liberal principles of government and true religion"
The territory that was beyond belonged to France, which, in turn, had acquired it from Spain. The Mississippi River was of vital importance to the farmers west of the Appalachian Mountains and the port of New Orleans had great commercial importance. Faced with the impossibility of maintaining such a vast territory, the French government of Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the sale of Louisiana to the United States for 15 million dollars. This negotiation was carried out on April 30, 1803. At the same time, the adventure of the West began, since it was necessary to take effective possession of the new territory. Under the initiative of then President Thomas Jefferson, the first step was taken to explore the territory.
Bandits:
Weapons were a common element in the life of the Wild West. Settlers, bandits, soldiers and servants of the law used rifles, carbines and revolvers to defend the land and people but also to commit crimes. The revolver was part of the usual attire
The most frequent crimes were the cuatrerismo, the assault of diligences, of banks and trains, the homicides and lynchings, etc.
Although the West has gone down in history as a wild and violent era, some people think it is an exaggeration. Some investigations suggest that crimes were relatively infrequent and that, although the average number of homicides was high, it was due more to the very existence of weapons and other factors such as the frequent consumption of alcohol and disputes.
Horses:
Before the expansion of the frontier, the use of the horse was widespread among the Amerindian nations of the great plains and around them there was a whole culture.
The horse was a symbol of prestige and wealth, and the skill in handling a distinctive personal.
Saloons:
The saloons, or bars, were an important meeting place in the Wild West
These establishments were furnished with the badges for which they were later recognized: long mahogany bars, huge mirrors, spittoons, tubes to support the feet, etc. In the saloons a lot of alcohol was consumed (mainly whiskey), and extravagant combinations. Some drinks had funny names like tarantula juice.
These sites had their own code of conduct, such as never refusing an invitation or belittling ethnic minority clients. In some towns, people met in the saloon but, in general, women were not admitted unless they were a local dancer.
