1. Cowboys of the Wild West: a List of Legends and Myths
By Dana DeMartino

2. Dressing to Impress
Cowboy clothing as depicted in movies is inaccurate.
In reality, they wore whatever they could get their afford.
Cowboys were not wealthy enough to afford dress clothes.
They wore hand me downs from higher classes.
Cowboys used hats to keep the sun out of their eyes.
Cowboy boots were practically designed for riding horses.
Their boots were often reinforced with cardboard to last longer.
Handkerchiefs were used to keep dust out of their mouths.
Gloves were used to help protect the hands and prevent blisters.

3. Living the Good Life Daily life was a difficult yet boring routine.
Cowboys worked 18 hour days, often in solitude.
The two main tasks of the cowboy were to watch the cattle herd, and to protect them on the long trail rides.
Cowboys were responsible for escorting the cattle from one spot to another.
They took care of almost all of the grunt work on the ranches.
There was actually very little fighting between cowboys and Native Americans, or between cowboys and each other.

4. Bad Behavior Movies depict cowboys as alcohol-loving delinquents.
In reality, cowboys adhered to high moral standards.
They avoided conflicts whenever possible and they took their jobs seriously enough to not drink while working.
When given a task, cowboys believed in finishing it no matter what.
They were known to be chivalrous and courageous.

5. Looking Good
Movies portray all cowboys to be rugged, white males, however many cowboys were either Mexican or African American.
The loneliness of the range also supported many homosexual relationships between cowboys.
Most cowboys had small or medium frames, because smaller bodies were easier on the horses.
There were also several cases of female ranch owners who helped out as cowgirls on their own ranches.

6. Clearing the Air
Despite the many untrue elements of the cowboy image, one fact holds true: cowboys played a key role in the establishment of American civilization in the western United States. The cowboys helped establish and sustain the first real business of the west: ranching. This business would not be where it is today without the work of the historic cowboys.

7. Work Cited
"Cowboy History." TrueCowboy.com. Web. 15 Feb <
"History of American Cowboys." EastCoastHorses.com. East Coast Equine Inc., Web. 13 Feb < american-cowboys.html>.
"The Old West." LegendsofAmerica.com. Legends of America, Web. 14 Feb < OldWestLegends.html>.