By Staff Writer: Jerri Clewis
One important figure rules the story in the many Westerns to have graced the screen since the development of films as a form of media—the tough-as-nails lawman. Pat Garrett, Wyatt Earp, and Wild Bill Hickok are just a few who gained notoriety.
From serving in the army to serving as journalists and members of the senate, lawmen seemed larger than life in their occupations in the Wild West, where lawlessness and violence were endemic across many settlements. Many of the lawmen had reputations for being proficient quick-draw gunslingers and kindhearted gamblers, but some hovered precariously between the line of valiant hero and greedy villain.
Some became famous but suffered consequences for what they did to clear up crime, like Pat Garret who unpopularly killed Billy the Kid in 1881 during his brief stint as Lincoln County Sheriff in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, according to Legends of America. Garret later lost the reelection for county sheriff and then failed to be elected as a New Mexico state senator a few years later due to his poor reputation.
Others became legends. Bill Hickok was a well-known gunslinger who took part in many shootouts in the late 1800s, according to the Crime Museum. He was also a gambler. On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill was playing poker when Jack McCall shot the lawman in the back of the head. Wild Bill died holding a pair of aces and eights, allegedly inspiring the series of cards now called “Dead Man’s Hand.”
Wyatt Earp, one of the most famous Western names, lived a colorful life that seemed to fluctuate between committing crimes of his own and solving the crimes of others. After years of busying himself with police work, mining, and gambling, he began spending summers in Los Angeles, inspiring actors and acting as an advisor on the sets of silent Western Films, PBS reported. He supposedly met John Wayne on one such set.
By the 1930s, most of the legendary lawmen of the 19th century were dead and buried. Many had died young from years spent in a dangerous line of work, but the stories of their adventures guaranteed a lasting legacy of what life was like during those early days in the Wild West.