Old West Legends Who Had Fascinating Careers

The Old West, also known as the Wild West or the American frontier is famous for tales, biographies and in-depth history about the people and events such as outlaws, cowboys and buried treasure. There were men who definitely secured a permanent spot in the deep history of the Old West. These legends were both heroes and villains of the Wild West who had very interesting careers. Here are five of these great legends.\r \r 1. Theodore Roosevelt \r \r Theodore Roosevelt was originally from New York, went to Harvard and lived a prestigious life. After a great tragedy, Roosevelt relocated to the West where he lived in North Dakota on a ranch which he called “The Elkhorn.” He embraced all that the west had to offer such as camping, ranching and hunting. He wrote magazines and books about the ranch lifestyle and he was quite successful. On Roosevelt’s return to New York, he became actively involved in politics. Roosevelt was elected Vice-President of the United States and then the twenty-sixth President in 1901.\r \r 2. Tom Mix\r \r Tom Mix was raised in Pennsylvania in a rich family.  He served in the Spanish-American war until he got married. He was a bartender, a town marshal and a ranch hand at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch. This ranch produced its own Wild West Show. Between 1909 and 1935, Mix starred in 291 early Western films, most of which were silent films. He became a major star known for his skill in roping and horseback riding. Actually, Mix was Hollywood’s first Western star and contributed greatly to the genre’s early development.\r \r 3. Wyatt Earp\r \r Wyatt Berry Earp was a legendary gambler, gunslinger and a confident man who lived in the American West. He is well known for taking part in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881. Earp was no stranger to the law. He relocated to California where he served as a referee for heavyweight boxing matches; traveled to Alaska with the aim of becoming rich through the Gold Rush but that failed. He ran a saloon and also tried mine in California. In Los Angeles, he socialized with movie stars and directors. During the silent era, Earp became a consultant on many western movies.\r \r 4. Bat Masterson\r \r Bartholomew William Barclay Masterson was a US Army scout, lawman, expert gambler and theater owner until he found what he loved and became a journalist; a good one at that. Masterson was interested in boxing. When he relocated to New York City in 1985 to be George Gould’s bodyguard, he started writing for the New York Morning Telegraph as a sports columnist and later wrote on local and national politics until his passing. Masterson was also appointed Southern New York’s Deputy US Marshal by Theodore Roosevelt.\r \r 5. Earl Bascom\r \r Earl Bascom spent part of his childhood living in the United States and Canada as a rancher and cowhand. In his teenage years, Bascom broke and shoed horses, rode on cattle drives and worked on ranches. He is often credited for creating the first side-delivery chute in rodeo history. He also designed or hornless bronc-saddle in 1922 and formulated the first one-hand, bareback-bronc in 1924. Bascom was a member of the Cowboy’s Turtle Association and was instrumental in producing the first night rodeo stage outside. He won bareback and saddle-bronc titles at rodeos across North America. Bascom was also a sculptor and artist and was honored as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London for his contributions.