 |
When did the American Old West And specifically in
California? There's no right
or wrong answer, I'm just
looking for a general idea. My
guess is somewhere between the
1890 Census and World War I.
Your thoughts?
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
The 1890's. Frederick Jackson Turner, in wake of the 1890 Census, declared that the frontier was closed. There was never an official statement that deemed the Old West over however, it was merely an observation by Turner. |
|
|
|
|
|
1880's and 90's but a few held out into the 20's. |
|
|
|
|
|
Actually there is a definite answer with a definite ending of the American Old West. What we most often refer to is the period of the latter half of the 1800's, between the American Civil War and the end of the century. More accurately though would be the entire 19th century, to the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920. California really wasn't the "Old West". San Francisco, along with many other west coast cities, was already a huge port city with tons of trade coming in from China. Oh, you had ranchers with these huge spreads, farms, cattle .... but it was no where near to what anyone would call the "Old West". The California Gold Rushes of the 1840's saw to that. The Gold Rush radically changed the California economy and brought in an array of professionals, including precious metal specialists, merchants, doctors, and attorneys, who supplemented the numerous miners, saloonkeepers, gamblers, and prostitutes. Ships from the Orient in and out of port all the way up to Seattle These people lived in cities more like Boston, than Tombstone. The "Old West" was still just territories, and not necessarily US territories either. Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. And they were very much the "Old West"... with cowboys and Indians, and trail rides, wild horses, cattle drives, saloons, and shoot outs. With the Mexican Revolution in 1920 the boundry lines had finally been drawn and the "Old West" suddenly was no more. |
|
|
|
|
