Poker
Poker is another favorite pastime in the old west. If you were not a gambler, you weren’t a cowboy. It was a popular form of entertainment, too, and a crowd favorite.
This game was originally developed in the United States during the 19th century and was documented as early as 1836 in a book called “Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains” by James Hildreth. Today, it still remains a favorite! Do you play poker?
The Anti-Saloon League
Back in the Wild West, respectable women were not given equal rights to a drink at the saloon. Meaning that they always had a hard time getting their share of beer or hard liquor. Unless they were saloon girls, harlots, or dancers, women were barred from even entering almost all saloons up until World War I.
There were some, however, that allowed women - but mostly through the back door. A few years later, it was those women who were denied a drink that helped find the Anti-saloon League, which was the most powerful prohibition lobby in America.
The Gypsies
Like many other things in the old west, Fortune telling was a favorite pastime. When you think of a fortune teller, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Of course, Gypsies or Romani People.
Common fortune-telling methods are through tarot card reading, palm reading, and crystallomancy, in which crystal spheres are used to predict your future. Most of these methods are still used today.
Pear Heart
Known for her stagecoach robberies, Pear Heart was another woman from the Old West that had a lot of spunk! She was the gutsy gal that escaped from prison and reached celebrity status during her lifetime. Although she is a famous robber, she wasn’t always involved in serious crimes. In fact, she was well-educated and came from a wealthy family.
After suffering physical abuse from her husband, she left him several times and eventually escaped from his clutches to move to Phoenix. Now, that’s a brave woman right there!
The Respectable Madams
Streetwalking was a big thing back in the Old West. Even though it was mostly illegal, brothels were common and in plain sight. Some respectable madams even donated most of their profits back to society.
Since working in the gold mines was mostly lonely and cold, that's when scarlet women and madams came along.