The ~Christian Country Farm~

FRONTIER Towns...

11:04 AM, Sep. 4, 2006 .. 3 comments .. Link

DID BUILDINGS IN FRONTIER TOWNS WEAR DISGUISES?

      Yes. The prairie towns that sprang up along the railroad had sod buildings, just like prairie farms. To make the towns look nicer than they really were, owners covered shops and businesses on the main street with two-story wooden masks, or false fronts. Each frontier town had at least a post office, hotel, saloon, general store, stable, blacksmith shop, and a newspaper. These shops lined one main street that started at the railway station. Raised sidewalks on each side of the street kept people out of the dirty, muddy roadway-unless, of course, they had business on the other side!

WHERE IN THE WEST WILL YOU FIND HAUNTED HOUSES?

     In ghost towns!!! Actually, ghost towns are towns that no one lives in anymore. Many mining towns in the West became ghost towns because everyone picked up and left when the gold or silver was gone. Railroad towns, on the other hand, were the most likely to survive because it was easy for people and goods to come and go.

HOW WILD WAS THE WILD WEST?

     The West was wild, especially compared to the more civilized East. But it wasn't as wild as it's often made out to be in movies and television. For many years, the West didn't have many sheriffs, jails, or courts of law, because the settlements were too new and the distances between them too great. To keep outlaws from running wild, pioneers took matters into their own hands by forming vigilante groups. These were usually groups of property owners who wanted to protect their belongings. Vigilantes could keep crime under control, but by taking the law into their own hands they sometimes punished innocent people.

     Even when real lawmen like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Wild Bill Hickok did arrive on the frontier, western towns were generally less mannerly than their eastern counterparts. A sign at a dance in Kansas commanded PLEASE DON'T SPIT ON THE FLOOR!!!

WHAT FAMOUS OUTLAW WAS REALLY JUST A KID?

     Billy the Kid {whose real name was Henry McCarty} was only 17 when he killed his first man. The Kid was caught many times and put in jail. He usually escaped because his big wrists and small hands helped him get out of handcuffs easily. Though legend says Billy the Kid killed 22 people, he probably really killed four or so before a sheriff shot him at age 21.

    The residents of Merna, Kansas, were so upset that the railroad passed them by, they took their whole town apart and rebuilt it next to the tracks!

   Taken from The Pioneers by Kenneth C. Davis

Kelly KJV
Deuteronomy 6:5-9*Proverbs 31:28*Titus 2:5*
Psalm 19:14*Joshua 24:15*I Corinthians 15:58

I have enjoyed reading your entries...

07:22 PM, Sep. 5, 2006 .. Posted by marthaskitchen
I live in Australia but I enjoy reading about other cultures especially history. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. I will be going through what you have written with my children.

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08:43 PM, Sep. 9, 2006 .. Posted by kayinpa
Cool info! I knew the ghost town one! LOL! Hope you had a great holiday weekend.

Edited by kayinpa on Sep. 9, 2006 at 08:44

Amazing

10:54 AM, Sep. 14, 2006 .. Posted by mc2rwe
I have really enjoyed looking at you blog! Very informative.

Kathy