Although theoretically one could begin the Wild West era as early as the 1790s, I'd say it began in the 1840s (maybe 1820s and '30s too) and went up to the beginning of WWI.

It probably really began around the time of the California Gold Rush (1849), and your end-time for that period (WWI) seems about right--that's about the time people started getting away from horses and buying automobiles.

However, back when I was still driving cross-country, I drove across Nevada a couple of times on U.S. 93 and 95 (as opposed to the usual east-west interstate routes).  I stopped in some of the small towns in the middle of nowhere and they still seemed to have an Old West vibe to them.  They still had general stores and the casinos reminded me a lot of the old-time saloons (with modern conveniences, of course).  The people there were friendly, and it's not like there were gunfights going on or anything like that,  but they also had this kind of rugged individualistic cowboy attitude, which to me was what the Old West was really all about, and I thought that was pretty cool.
    If you get off the interstate in Nevada and get to some of these more isolated towns, I believe the spirit of the Old West is alive and well in the year 2006.

Yeah, 1840's seems about right, gaining steam between the 1860's-1880's.


    If you get off the interstate in Nevada and get to some of these more isolated towns, I believe the spirit of the Old West is alive and well in the year 2006.

I lived in New Mexico in the 1980's and the small mountain towns were still very much old west. Almost everone carries a firearm of some sort, mainly for protection from bears, cougars and such. There is also the isolation, which tends to make people self reliant and more neighborly. Montana and Wyoming are much the same. An acquaintance told me there are still one-room schoolhouses in Montana.

It probably really began around the time of the California Gold Rush (1849), and your end-time for that period (WWI) seems about right--that's about the time people started getting away from horses and buying automobiles.

However, back when I was still driving cross-country, I drove across Nevada a couple of times on U.S. 93 and 95 (as opposed to the usual east-west interstate routes).  I stopped in some of the small towns in the middle of nowhere and they still seemed to have an Old West vibe to them.  They still had general stores and the casinos reminded me a lot of the old-time saloons (with modern conveniences, of course).  The people there were friendly, and it's not like there were gunfights going on or anything like that,  but they also had this kind of rugged individualistic cowboy attitude, which to me was what the Old West was really all about, and I thought that was pretty cool.
    If you get off the interstate in Nevada and get to some of these more isolated towns, I believe the spirit of the Old West is alive and well in the year 2006.


That's true.  You know, the old days haven't vanished, they've just left the urban centers and their locales. 

Also, do you notice how the Wild West doesn't include urban California, the Central Valley, and Western Oregon and Washington?  It's more like The Dakotas to Texas and through to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges.

^ I used to live in the Sacramento area for six years, and I totally felt a presence of wild west-esque history around there. Especially a bit to the east, although downtown still has some cobblestone streets, in a "modern Old West" style (they call it "Old Sacramento"). Very cool stuff.

Overall, it does seem like California is only partially Old West. The LA area was pretty barren until the 20th century, I believe.

Anyway, I'd say the gold rush, circa 1849, was around the beginning of it. It peaked in the 1880's (I'm not just saying that because BTTF 3 was set in 1885 either!). This was when outlaws like Billy the Kid really made their mark. The last span of time where the general public didn't know about electricity, cars or other things that were about to loom on the horizon. It was very primitive (if someone from 1885 saw 1915, they'd be shocked!).

While even by the late 1890's it was probably dwindling, I think the "horse, carriage and cowboy" lifestyle lasted up till the early 1910's. Some people in the 1900's and even as late as WW 1 rejected the use of automobiles and such.

^ I used to live in the Sacramento area for six years, and I totally felt a presence of wild west-esque history around there. Especially a bit to the east, although downtown still has some cobblestone streets, in a "modern Old West" style (they call it "Old Sacramento"). Very cool stuff.

Overall, it does seem like California is only partially Old West. The LA area was pretty barren until the 20th century, I believe.

Anyway, I'd say the gold rush, circa 1849, was around the beginning of it. It peaked in the 1880's (I'm not just saying that because BTTF 3 was set in 1885 either!). This was when outlaws like Billy the Kid really made their mark. The last span of time where the general public didn't know about electricity, cars or other things that were about to loom on the horizon. It was very primitive (if someone from 1885 saw 1915, they'd be shocked!).

While even by the late 1890's it was probably dwindling, I think the "horse, carriage and cowboy" lifestyle lasted up till the early 1910's. Some people in the 1900's and even as late as WW 1 rejected the use of automobiles and such.


Oregon, where I live is only partially Western, Western Oregon has a little pioneer spirit outside of the Willamette Valley but Eastern Oregon is like Northern Nevada or Idaho, depending on which part.  Very Old West.

Yeah, the 1890s saw the decline of it, but I'd say 1915 is when it was totally dead.

^ Yeah, I'd say for California, the "pioneer" spirit is from Sacramento and north. Oregon and Washington state probably have it more than we do, even 100 miles south of Sacramento, in the Bay Area. Maybe the Oregon Trail has something to do with it (the real one, not the video game, LOL).

P.S. The most interesting "cross section" of the electrical age with the Old West, is a vintage aerial picture of San Francisco in 1906 I once saw. I believe it was taken after the city was rebuilt after the quake that year. People are walking around and visibly have carriages/horses, but it looks more "modern" than something from 1890.

^ Yeah, I'd say for California, the "pioneer" spirit is from Sacramento and north. Oregon and Washington state probably have it more than we do, even 100 miles south of Sacramento, in the Bay Area. Maybe the Oregon Trail has something to do with it (the real one, not the video game, LOL).

P.S. The most interesting "cross section" of the electrical age with the Old West, is a vintage aerial picture of San Francisco in 1906 I once saw. I believe it was taken after the city was rebuilt after the quake that year. People are walking around and visibly have carriages/horses, but it looks more "modern" than something from 1890.


I think the 1900s decade was kind of like the 2000s decade is to the 20th Century.  You know, we don't have flying cars or a lot of commercial spaceflight, and we still have TVs, go to movies, and listen to the radio, but computers and Internet make it look more modern and very vaguely "futuristic".  As opposed to say, 1990, where only like 18% of American households had computers and only like 1 million people were online. 

In the 1900s decade, some people had cars and there was electric lighting, but it still looked like the 1800s.