Wild West States (1930s, viking, historical, ancestors)

[Cali BassMan]

You have to mention Missouri, because of The James -Younger Gang, although Missouri was really the "GateWay to the West" The Wagon Trains left from Independence, Missouri. So maybe it's the easternmost Wildwest State. Kansas, as the end of the trail for cattle drives, Dodge City,etc...
California had the Gold Rush, Tombstone, Arizona and the Earps/ Doc Holliday, The Black Hills with Deadwood and Custer's Last Stand.....and of course Texas..Longhorns, Rangers, Wes Hardin etc....

[Irishtom29]

Illinois. It had the Harpes and river pirate Captain Mason operating out of Cave In Rock near Shawneetown; they killed more people than smallpox. Then you had the Banditti-Regulator War in the Rock Valley in the early 19th Century. Not to mention all the bootlegging outlawly in Chicago (including Frankie McErlane who ALSO killed more men than smallpox and was the first gangster to use the Tommy Gun) during prohibition and Chicago's connections with the Midwestern Bandit gangs of the depression era.

When Big Harpe was captured by a Kentucky posse after one of his murderous rampages he was beheaded by them with a butcher knife; a cut was made around and through his neck and then his head was wrenched off like a hog's. Harpe's last words, as the cut was being made, were "You are a goddamned rough butcher but cut on and be damned."

Some famous lawmen were Illinoisans too; Wild Bill and the Earps.

[ovcatto]

Texas may come to mind but that is more the result of Hollywood's enchantment with cattle drives more than history.

If you consider the era of the Wild West to be that period following the American Civil War up until the late 19th Century, you have to remember that Texas was and had been a state for a number of years, the "lawless" West (with the exception of a few town sherifs) was comprised of western territories, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico with the Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

Kansas, Nebraska, Texas Minnesota and a small portion of Iowa were the last states until you reached the Pacific coast.

[Capt. Dan]

I think I read somewhere that the area around Ft. Smith, Arkansas had alot of outlaws. When the law would come after them they could ride into the Indian Territory in Oklahoma.

[Chango]

maybe I'm biased but I think of Utah and Nevada. This area was full of mining and isolated mining towns that were among the most violent in US western history.

[CelticViking]

great replies...very interesting to hear different views...

[Fred314X]

Montana should be on the list as well. Some of those towns that sprang up during the copper boom late in the 19th century were just as wild and woolly as any of the cattle or railroad towns. Bannack springs to mind.

[Dr. Foosball]

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

I think I read somewhere that the area around Ft. Smith, Arkansas had alot of outlaws. When the law would come after them they could ride into the Indian Territory in Oklahoma.

You are correct. I don't know if I would consider Fort Smith a "western" town, but it was the edge of the world for a while. The U.S. Marshals chose Fort Smith for their new museum. It is going to be quite nice.

The time when Fort Smith was the western town was referred to as "Hell on the Border."

Marshals Museum

[stillkit]

Originally Posted by Dr. Foosball

You are correct. I don't know if I would consider Fort Smith a "western" town, but it was the edge of the world for a while. The U.S. Marshals chose Fort Smith for their new museum. It is going to be quite nice.

The time when Fort Smith was the western town was referred to as "Hell on the Border."

Marshals Museum

You're right about the end of the world.

The Military Road was just across the border in Indian Territory. It ran from Ft. Scott, KS, via Ft. Gibson to Ft. Towson, IT and was legitimately considered as the frontier of America. Later, it was sometimes called the Texas Road or the Pawnee Trail.

[markg91359]

Two separate places by the name of Virginia City stand out to me. Virginia City, Nevada home of the Comstock Silver Mine was a very wild place from about 1859 to 1880 when the silver mines played out. Murders, crime, legal hangings, and lynchings all took place in large numbers

Virginia City, Montana was also very wild. In the early 1860's gold was discovered in the area and many people moved there hoping to strike it rich. A huge number of robberies occurred when the stage coaches attempted to bring passengers and money in and out of the town. Suspicion focused on Sheriff Plummer as being behind many of these robberies since he never could seem to arrest anyone and seemed uninterested in doing so. Eventually, a band of vigilantes organized. Their first act was to hang Sheriff Plummer. By the time they were done, they had stretched a couple of dozen necks.