Why the West was Wild

Kansas cowtowns were the principle shipping centers for Texas trail herds from 1867 until 1885. The world remembers these places chiefly for their extreme violence and for the men who supposedly cleaned them up. Much of what is known of this facet of the West's history has been decidedly slanted, knocked askew by a host of writers who have failed to look into first-hand accounts of the actions they were recreating. The following pages are presented in the hope that some of the misconceptions about cowtowns, and especially about the men who were the law there, can be corrected and knowledge of the Wild West brought into a proper focus.