Old West Gunfights

The movies got it wrong.

Street fighting in the Old West was about as rare as horseflies in December. It’s more of a Hollywood creation. In towns without gun laws, shootouts were common in saloons, especially in end-of-the-trail cow towns and payday in mining towns. Most were simply the result of the alcohol and the heat of the moment, while others were longstanding feuds. The best way to be a survivor or come out a winner was to get the other guy before he got you. So, ambush, bushwhacking or backshooting was more common.