100 Photos of Towns during the Wild West

After watching a western, or playing Red Dead Redemption, have you wondered what it would be like to walk the streets of a western town? What kind of world did famous wild west figures, like Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James and Billy the Kid live in? With these 100 photos of towns during the wild west, learn from photographic evidence what towns during the wild west looked like. With these photos you'll see the same streets that settlers, miners, saloon girls, lawmen and outlaws saw when they traveled out west on the frontier.

[@robertgarrison7836]

My great grandpa went to the Yukon in 1898. Most land in Dawson City was claimed. 1899 WI ter he traveled down the Yukon to Nome. In 1900 he hooked up with an English mining company and went to Rhodesia Africa. In 1904 he came back to Missouri, briefly, then went to Alaska on Copper River prospecting. In 1910, he went to Zacaticas, Mexico then came back to Lovelocks, Nevada Gillette, Wyoming and finally Alma, Colorado where in 1920 he was victim of "Spanish" Flu and died on the train from Fairplay to Denver. He's buried in Meeker, Colorado. Name James Madison Garrison

[@javiercosta5742]

Que gran anécdota! Es bueno respetar y recordar a nuestros mayores! Saludos cordiales! Desde Montevideo, Uruguay!

[@redwatch1100]

Wyatt Earp helped build the town of Nome.

[@mariazimdars4058]

What a wonderful history your family has. A lot to remember, admire and respect. Quite an adventure. I hope you have it on paper? 🤠

[@Brandi6666]

Dont sound like he had anytime for a family, let alone anybody close in his life to recall all his travels🤔

[@andreabelcham9009]

I was married in Dawson in 1995 after a two-week canoe trip down a couple of Yukon rivers. I was 45 years old and it was one of the greatest adventures of my life. To me the Yukon is one of the most magical places on earth and in Dawson you can virtually feel the grit and determination of those who came to find their fortune panning for gold.

[@returnofthenative]

What a wonderful historical record. The realization that less than 2 lifetimes have elapsed between then & now, so that the son of a young man seen here may be alive today is astonishing, & the contrast of great achievement is truly stark. Thank you.......Aust.

[@ScooterFarts]

The son of a man born in 1883 is highly unlikely. A grandson, yes.

[@Go4Corvette]

We are so lucky they had the film in those days to take these photos.

[@legacyofthewest]

Yes we are!

[@lisamannmann5559]

so true

[@paulbroderick8438]

8.27: What those burros had to endure back then. God Bless them. Great time travel

[@reneethornton9228]

I just finished watching this video with such great pictures of my favorites era. It was nice to have more time to really view a picture before the next one appeared. The music is great. Thank you once again for taking me back into what I personally consider a great and interesting time. Of course the picture of Tombstone is a reminder of my favorite Marshall Wyatt Earp. Again thanks and keep being history from the Wild Wild West. Love ❤️ it!

[@legacyofthewest]

Thank you Renee! After many photo videos I think I finally found a good amount of time for each video to appear on screen.

[@Allium_369]

I love the bodie picture . I went there as a child and that place had a huge impact on my life.

[@Victoryk1200s]

Been to Bodie 3 times and loved it all. But I really liked Bannick Montana And the hotel is haunted.

[@ronaldmessina4229]

Of course I do not believe in harming the burrows who, many times had to suffer from overburdened work 😮

[@CineMutt]

Thanks for listing the sources, and for giving us photos that have not been shown a hundred times already.

[@aaronlopez492]

Thank you so much for showing those "Old West" pictures. It was riveting.👍

[@leecowell8165]

I can NOT even imagine living back in those times. The average lifespan was < 40 years. Virtually no communication, tansportation was a maximum of about 25 miles/day by horse drawn wagon or horseback. Often people were born, lived, died within a 50 mile radius and had NO idea of lives beyond that range.

[@ScooterFarts]

And appreciated their world all the more

[@verenamaharajah6082]

The same story in all other countries of the world.

[@edwinthompson6510]

a man could only travel as fast a horse could gallop Until the railroads came

[@terrymorris2775]

Its always nice to see what it looked like in photos from days gone by.

[@MT-lo7dt]

How hard for the people to build this beautiful country before and how the people try to destroy it now…it’s so very sad . Thank you for up loading this!

[@jimmyleon2983]

Very cool pics! I love pics from the old western days!

[@calrazus]

Great photos. I've been to ten of those places " now", nice to see the "then".

[@bradfordbarrettluckotheIrish]

Outstanding job! Awesome soundtrack too. My two favourites I’ve spent time in were Sutter Creek, CA and Virginia City, NV

[@gregbrummett7762]

thank you for not zooming in on these photos the way other KZbin channels think it's necessary to do... I want to look at the photo as it was taken.

[@WB8BRA]

Wonderful video ... just great... I was born in 1940 and felt like it was near me. I love westerners and the west and sometimes which I was their, but this is the closest I will get ... My dad was a doctor and we went on house calls and people were just nice..I believe I have lived through the golden age of America when men were really free. .. thanks for your video

[@edwinthompson6510]

i totally agree well said sir im 83 born 1941

[@estelleadamski308]

I'm proud to say my ancestors lived in the United states in this time period. I was glad to see the photo of Dodge City as my great-great-grandfather homesteader just north of there. He proved up his land. Most Americans cannot claim this as there ancestors were not here at that time. You had to be hardy, resourceful & tough-skinned to survive the Wild West.

[@ChasOnErie]

Mine to .. BUTTE MONTANA AND MIDLAND TEXAS !!!

[@estelleadamski308]

@@ChasOnErie Isn't the Bush family from Midland?

[@jadedonato6447]

Must folks died rather young true u had rather Very Very hardy and probably could eat anything 2. have survived

[@jadedonato6447]

Janis Joplin came from such stock like those folks that came on covered wagons! Tough Folks!

[@jadedonato6447]

And they had 2 stand up 2 folks 2 keep people places or things that belonged 2 them

[@artisaprimus6306]

Hollywood paints a pretty picture of the Old West, but seeing those photos shows how gritty it was. I see a lot of hard work and very little comfort. Freezing cold in the winter, blazing hot in the summer. Going to the outhouse must have been an adventure in the winter.

[@ScooterFarts]

Not all were small towns. Their was plenty to keep a man busy and entertained in or around most communities. Especially the larger boom towns and cities. If you're talking about a secluded homestead, well, that was usually how they wanted it. Outhouses/privy were obviously required, however most used a chamber pot instead of venturing out in the cold or dead of night. On the trail, a hole and a handshake. One can not equate today's values with theirs nor view it through a modern lense anymore than they could ours. I think while cattle trails and dusty small towns certainly lacked comfort, they made up for it in the other more creative ways. Dodge City, Tombstone, Abilene, Santa Fe, Mesilla, El Paso, Deadwood and larger cities offered everything a man could want...booze, women, food and a place to sleep. Now, for a typical female...that's a rather harsh life, a limited lifespan, hygiene & minimal reality of making any real "living" during that time.

[@redwatch1100]

Imagine having the flu and chills and having to drag your sick behind out to the outhouse on a cold wet windy winter night. Or worse yet, deal with it out on the trail. That would have been awful.

[@artisaprimus6306]

@@redwatch1100 now, you're getting it. I would always worry about what spider or other nasty creature hanging just under the seat of the outhouse. Then, breathing the horrific fumes from the hole under the outhouse. Nothing romantic about that shit.

[@skipperclinton1087]

​@artisaprimus6306 : My mother and father lived in the country of TX & OK, respectively. Both said that it was dicey in the middle of the night to make the trip out to the outhouse and hear the rattle of a rattler coming from somewhere in the dark.

[@artisaprimus6306]

@@skipperclinton1087 Yikes!

[@jefffreestone8476]

My family was from Vernal, Utah. My Grandfather was born there in 1888. He told me that when he was a young boy as I was at the time. They would go see the outlaws when they heard they were in town. He said he remembers seeing and talking about Butch Cassidy as he was going into a bar on South Vernal Ave. Vernal, Utah was one of the town the outlaws frequented a round the turn of the century. I'm guessing I was around 10 or 12 when he told me this, as he said he was. It stuck in my memory because we were down town at the time and he pointed out the bar door.

[@NBZW]

1697, the area that is now known as Falls Church, Pennsylvania , then moved on to New Holland. Family members from both sides have participated in every war from the Revolution to Vietnam, fought for both sides of the Civil War. The names of both sides of my family are on many road signs in both Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as Gettysburg and Vicksburg monuments.

[@louisehans9771]

Even tho I am a Canadian, I am also a worldwide history buff. Love these old photos..

[@lindadiaz3268]

What a great collection of photographs, simply beautiful 🌹

[@BluesJammer69]

My Grandma use to talk about coming to Ft Worth, Tx in a covered wagon as a little girl ...i see that kind of stuff here ...wow

[@josuepolidosiqueirapolido6994]

Fantastic photos ! Really amazing vídeo !

[@baldeagle5297]

I would hate to be drunk or a sleepwalker in Cerro Gordo. One misstep, and it's "Rawhide." You know, 🎵Rollin', Rollin, Rollin.🎵

[@legacyofthewest]

Lol!

[@RowdyYates-x6n]

I went to Cerro Gordo in '97. It was deserted and really creepy!

[@BCVS777]

This is awesome! Thanks for putting it all together!

[@legacyofthewest]

Glad you liked it!

[@Victoryk1200s]

Thanks for bringing the past forward ❤

[@anthonylewis9572]

AWESOME FASCINATING PHOTOS. I LOVE THE OL WEST. VERY GOOD PICTURES. AT TIMES I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN AROUND IN THIS TIME PERIOD....

[@davidbreen4353]

pretty amazing, the desolation in some of these photos, i noticed Studebaker wagons on one wall of a building, and eatna insurance on another town shot. a lot of electric poles in some of these, just amazing what it must have been like back in the 1880's. neat video.

[@lauriecook3283]

Interesting to see so many young trees in the Oregon photos.

[@lauriecook3283]

As I keep watching I see the same young tree growth in the other states too:)

[@tressa8221]

Very good video, loved the song at the end.

[@RichardLekston]

Thank you great pictures I enjoy learning about our history.

[@Lukey-Dukey-AUS]

Very interesting to see what it was like in those days.

[@jimclarke1108]

My great grandparents days, great video

[@Madskillsuniversity]

Love this. I just re-installed Red Dead Redemption 2 yesterday. LOL Thanks for this. It's motivational. i still love westerns and trains!

[@legacyofthewest]

I need to play RDR2 again

[@jamesorth6460]

The Douglas Avenue, Wichita taken in 1878 is actually Delano, Kansas. Delano was incorporated in the the city of Wichita in 1880. I spent some of my youth in the Delano District of Wichita

[@DocHoliday-to6kp]

So Cool, Thanks for sharing.

[@gregorygolden1296]

Great pictures. Spent a good part of my youth in Bozeman, Montana.....The rich have flat ruined that once wonderful little city.

[@michaelmerta8956]

How difficult live was that at that time, people didn't last long. For woman I seen photos of an beautiful young lady from England and ending up marrying an young fellow immigrated to the United States in the 1900. After 10 years she looked like an old stressed, delusion,brocken lady.

[@cynthiabinder3730]

😊 nice music excellent pictures 😊 Thank you

[@rollinmckim4719]

THE OFFICE SALOON in Battle Wyoming circa 1887 ??? So we were ALREADY saying "I'll be late at THE OFFICE honey, back then? Thanks for the video.......it was a hoot.

[@rossmansell5877]

Makes you realise how lucky you really are today.....life could be really hard in those days....

[@doogalloonni]

'brings me back...

[@janetcarbone4213]

That was great. Thanks!

[@JacobWilson-uf6zq]

Hello how are you doing today

[@davidt8438]

Interesting thought is that if the two small children at 1:44 lived till they were 65 years old, they would have lived a whole lifetime and been dead by 1955. Life sure is short.

[@alyasayser7718]

Bare, baren , no grass, no landscapes, no greenish lands, but now all America is green full of woods, grassy places and greenish lands, something astonished

[@petersack5074]

F I N A L L Y ...! A true, historical truth , encapsulated with GREAT MUSIC....for a change, on KZbin. Thanks, to all involved. Most U tube videos, use crap / noise, for ? music ? GOOD ON YOU A L L .........'' on with the show ! ;;'

[@2011Matz]

nice music

[@zaymoney252]

To think every single person in these photo and everyone they ever knew are all long gone.. Our time here on Earth is relatively short.. In a distant future the people of the 2100s will view our photos the same.. They’ll always wonder what life was like during our lifetime same we wonder and admire watching this bygone era..

[@earthangel3234]

These photos are great. I live in Billings MT and I also lived in Salt Lake City UT..

[@ronaldmessina4229]

Really good and cool 😎 music

[@abpccpba]

Well done Thanks

[@RossIsFine]

Awesome!!

[@MaryM-xz5fs]

Excellent history!

[@johnd416]

How were these photos taken? Pinhole cam? I don't think Eastman Kodak was around then 😢.

[@justme8837]

my weird brain wonders what they were doing when the picture was taken, what conversations were being had and where did they go after.

[@SunriseLAW]

8:16 Leadville, CO is the highest elevation of any city in USA at over 10,000 feet.

[@redwatch1100]

Red Dead Redemption 2 kicks ass. It must have been awesome living in America then.

[@veronicalucena1039]

Observei que não havia pessoas obesas nesta época. De São Paulo Brasil.

[@eileenspamer]

[@jeffhess7130]

Two 👍👍 Up 🤠

[@javiercosta5742]

Muy bueno! Crecí viendo películas del oeste Norteamaricano! Vestían igual! Hicieron bien si trabajo los cineastas! 🤔😅🙋🏻‍♂️🇺🇾

[@babyboomer9560]

I’m from gold rush territory in California. Only one photo of Sutter Creek. How bout some photos of Placerville, Columbia, Sonora, Fiddletown , Drytown, Frogtown, Angels Camp, Jamestown, Mariposa, Bootjack, Coursegold, Colterville, Dogtown , Hangtown, etc.😊

[@pallen49]

Imagine living in those times before there was any central air and heating..Oh oh, and an indoor flushing toilet.. Regardless, I'd wish I have a time machine and travel back to those days and mingle around a bit, lol

[@MrFroglips69]

Very groovy.

[@wyosundancer]

It's too bad Hollywood producers never looked at some of these old photos. Hitching rails? Everyone wearing a pistol in a Buscadero Holster that was not invented until the 1920s in Hollywood. It was interesting to see how many horses were "Ground Tied". I grew up in North East Wyoming. I did not know until recently that the reason Sundance had such wide streets was that freighters using huge teams of oxen or horses could turn around.

[@davidnorth3411]

Back in the good olde days , toll made strong backs and sturdy minds . Today money is made with fiction and trivia , it was a good time .

[@ronaldmessina4229]

And I do wish that I could return to those days of yesteryear and enjoy 😊 all that they offered ❤

[@edwinthompson6510]

true grit

[@teegrey1606]

at the 4:21 mark,does anyone know the artist and tune of that instrumental.that sound just takes your breath away

[@legacyofthewest]

The song is "Humidity" by Silent Partner, kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWXYkJ18qJ2Zj8U

[@teegrey1606]

@@legacyofthewest thanks so much👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@edwinthompson6510]

My grandfather he met and started a business venture with Wyatt Earp in Nome, Alaska "The Dexter Hotel on main st hs wife Josie ran the upstairs bawdy house Earp told grandad about his times in Dodge city ,,Tombstone and other boomtowns ,,,,i have conformation in writing in letters sent by grandad to my grandma back in Utah Interesting reading how the west really was not Hollywood's version ,,,,,

[@Cool-Aid5564]

Why is the background always whited out?

[@wandamedlyn8942]

In the photo of Oklahoma it seems odd that those people were posing outside in late December without a coat!

[@wetnoodle1]

I visited tombstone 40 years ago and it was pretty awesome. In Bisbee AZ the town still looked the same too

[@letmebereal]

And just to think the glaciers were already melting and receding.

[@petersack5074]

2:38 Time. N O T E. The ' engineering ' thinking, of that upper deck. Good. Deck floor, is NOT the roof ! Water drainage, was well-thought, out, beforehand. UNLIKE TODAY, where there is no thought, of / nor about drainage. Just, greed : '' git 'er done ''. ONLY one reason, so many people, admire FACTUAL HISTORY....of whom, i am chief.

[@frankfreeman1444]

America started using AC electricity in 1886. You show pictures allegedly taken 20 years or more prior to that, in towns in the middle of nowhere, that have ectric poles and wiring.

[@jamesestrem1992]

1894 and 1905 where are the automobiles?? and to think , a measley 60 some yrs later we were on the moon!!

[@frankadams2401]

In all these old photos you hardly see anyone with a pistol or rifle.

[@ScooterFarts]

Most towns had ordinances against carrying in town.

[@frankadams2401]

That is hard to beleive. But thank you for your answer.@@ScooterFarts

[@stopmotionkid1041]

3:34 how i found out how waldo was made the creater probly stuideid the wild west and found this buildings name😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😂😂

[@BettyH-p8u]

And these are the “GOOD OLD DAYS “ ! It’s all in when and where you lived ! Hard work for woman and man ! Each GENERATION makes improvements on their fathers work and invented machines to make work easier for both man and woman ! We take these improvements for granted ! I personally thank GOD ( NOT TRUMP ) for these labor saving inventions ! 👍🏻

[@verenamaharajah6082]

When people lived in wooden sheds, with choking dust all summer and knee high mud in winter. And hardly any women in these photos. All these places would have stunk~ no flushing toilets or sewers. That all came much later.

[@edwinthompson6510]

stinjky old town from N.Y to Frisco

[@doggedout]

"After watching a western, or playing Red Dead Redemption, have you wondered what it would be like to walk the streets of a western town?" When I see all the horses, open windows (chamber pot disposal ports) and think that everyone of those buildings probably had a hastily dug outhouse / cesspit behind it, probably regardless of the water table: one answer comes to mind.... Smelly. Very, very...smelly. A modern person, instantly transported back to one of those streets, would probably start their visit with a massive puke. It would take days to "get used" to it. ....and imagine the big cities! 10X worse!

[@neilthewheelio]

I was looking for Arthur Morgan 😀

[@davidbreen4353]

i was stationed in Turkey in 1976, the city where the base is located smelled like a human cesspool 24/7. so there are still places on the planet that smell really bad to this day.

[@mrdfcmz1]

некоторые фото выглядят лучше чем сейчас живут в россии

[@oldasdihrt5993]

What i like about this video is that it doesn't have some idiot teenager giving his insight.

[@frankfreeman1444]

I guess it depends on which BS internet source you look at. I may have been wrong on that 1886 date and/or some place may have started with DC, even before they electrocuted that elephant to prove a point. My apologies to you all.

[@jamesestrem1992]

i dont see anybody wearing blue jeans and T Shirts!!

[@edwinthompson6510]

they were all partying

[@TheSnoopindaweb]

🏚🏚🏚🏤🏚🏚🏚😁❕ G-G.

[@hardyakka6200]

Where are all the gun toting cowboys ?

[@verenamaharajah6082]

Out on the ranches, working hard.

[@Dan-pv7mh]

In jail

[@hardyakka6200]

@@verenamaharajah6082 You cannot work hard with a gun on your hip.

[@hardyakka6200]

@@Dan-pv7mh That makes sense. They had stricter gun laws then than they have now.

[@jimanders9971]

This just in: texas isn't even in the west. Pfffft.

[@legacyofthewest]

You're saying that Texas wasn't part of the wild west?

[@jimanders9971]

@@legacyofthewest Look at any map.

[@mikeseier4449]

Excellent!…Thank you.🤠🇺🇸

[@johnbeechy]

the old western towns could have used body cams and other shots from positional cameras. but tech takes a century or two to catch up to the needs of the local town folk. the photos are dope. thanks and be well Happy Post Ground Hog day

[@pietrocannas7159]

BELLISSIME FOTO.

[@leszekkulon101]

To aż wierzyć się nie chce, że w ciągu stu lat może trochę więcej z takich osad zbudowano takie miasta. Co znaczy, gdy ludziom pozwoli się brać sprawy w swoje ręce. Jakoś nikt nie miał ta,ich fantazyjnych kapeluszy jak na westernach, nikt nie nosił broni. Tylko, ze chyba i nudnawo tam było, dlatego tak ochoczo brali się za budowanie kraju.

[@navydogsadventures3500]

Seeing these old photos is amazing. Takes a person back to this time period indeed.

[@sergekudrynskyj6662]

Lots of muddy streets in the wet seasons.

[@jeffreygraf3358]

My GG Granfather had a general/mining store in Rockerville, SD in 1870's-80's.Thanks for crediting the picture. Now I have something to see of where he lived and worked.

[@senecakw]

Hey KZbinrs, this is how you do it. Substantial pauses at each photo so you can take it in, a clear description and date at the bottom of each photo, and mild, non-obnoxious music in the background. Great job.

[@keithwatson8055]

An amazing collection of photos,also amazing how you obtained them all.Did't see anyone wearing a gun, no one dressed like a 'cowboy' like you see in the movies.

[@discodave2103]

Superb collection of photos. Have you ever thought of doing a then and now photo comparison? Be interesting to see how these old wild west towns look today ;)

[@legacyofthewest]

I've wanted to go to some of these towns and try and recreate the old photos by standing in the same area and using the same angles, but I don't have the time right now unfortunately.

[@ankhpom9296]

How many of those towns exist today?

[@stephenater9687]

Fantastic Fido and the music is tremendous.

[@lizlocher3612]

These pics were sooo cool to see!!! I am an "Old West" aficionado n TOTALLY LOVE the fact that you gathered these ab fab photos n presented them so I could enjoy them n out real pics to the names of the MANY cities I have been to and studied over my ,66 yrs. WOW!!! Wonderful video!!! Thank you for posting,!!!