Wild Bill Hickok on This Day in History

This Day in History: Western gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok was born on this day in 1837. While Wild Bill represented an image of a Wild West, the reality was that the Wild West was actually quite tame. The settlers and the natives generally found ways to cooperate rather than fight. "Many other groups of settlers and explorers peacefully interacted with one another, overcoming problems such as unknown weather conditions and unmapped territories. Several hundred fur trappers gathered every year at pre-designated rendezvous sites in the Rockies. Even though they brought thousands of dollars’ worth of furs, little stealing took place. The many contests involving drinking, fighting and shooting were primarily a form of entertainment, not signs of theft and deprivation." Peter J Hill.

In fact, things really only got violent when the government got involved.

See also: Buffalo Bill & the American Wild West, 200 Books on DVDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/buffalo-bill-american-wild-west-200.html

Wild Bill Documentary