22 Photos of Cowboys Out in the Wild, Wild West

Carly Tennes Published 05/26/2024 in wow

Long before cowboys evoked images of old westerns, Clint Eastwood and girls in hot pink hats at bachelorette parties, real ranchers ruled the wild, wild west, wrangling animals, riding horses, and getting into all sorts of trouble.

From Nellie Brown to Billy the Kid, here are 22 stunning snapshots of real cowboys ruling the West.

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1. Billy the Kid — a.k.a. William Bonney — circa 1880.
2. Butch Cassidy, date unknown.
3. Belle Starr, circa 1880.
4. “Native American cowboy in 1850.”
5. “Cowboy - 1880s.”
6. “Unknown cowboy, c.1900.”
7. “One of the last cowboys of the dying old west chilling in Bonham, Texas in 1910 [Colorized].”
8. “Cowboy riding an elk, 1910.” 
9. “Nellie Brown, black cowgirl. c.1880s.”
10. “What a real cowboy looked like. 1896.”
11. “Black Cowboys in Texas, circa 1913.”
12. “Cowboy from the 1800s.”
13. “Full length portrait of Native American Cowboy, circa 1890s.”
14. “Nat Love, American Cowboy, aka Deadwood D— (late 1800s).”
15. “Tintype portrait of Native American and Black American Cowboys, Ca, circa 1860s.”
16. “Chinese Cowboy about to show a reporter one of the guns kept on his person. Denver CO Nov 1, 1880.”
17. “Real Cowboys - Circa 1880.”
18. “My great(x3) grandpa and his brother, taking time off from cowboying for a photo in town (~1860).”
19. “My grandfather, cowboy, Cliff Gatewood, founder of the Wild West show called “the Flying X Ranch and Rodeo. 1935.”
20. “My great-grandfather as a cowboy out west in the early 1900’s.”
21. “Cowboys of the Open Range as Photographed by Erwin E. Smith. 1905-12. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. More info in comments.”
22. “1916 Chinese-American cowboy from the Autry Center of the American West.”

1. Billy the Kid — a.k.a. William Bonney — circa 1880.
2. Butch Cassidy, date unknown.
3. Belle Starr, circa 1880.
4. “Native American cowboy in 1850.”
5. “Cowboy - 1880s.”
6. “Unknown cowboy, c.1900.”
7. “One of the last cowboys of the dying old west chilling in Bonham, Texas in 1910 [Colorized].”
8. “Cowboy riding an elk, 1910.” 
9. “Nellie Brown, black cowgirl. c.1880s.”
10. “What a real cowboy looked like. 1896.”
11. “Black Cowboys in Texas, circa 1913.”
12. “Cowboy from the 1800s.”
13. “Full length portrait of Native American Cowboy, circa 1890s.”
14. “Nat Love, American Cowboy, aka Deadwood D— (late 1800s).”
15. “Tintype portrait of Native American and Black American Cowboys, Ca, circa 1860s.”
16. “Chinese Cowboy about to show a reporter one of the guns kept on his person. Denver CO Nov 1, 1880.”
17. “Real Cowboys - Circa 1880.”
18. “My great(x3) grandpa and his brother, taking time off from cowboying for a photo in town (~1860).”
19. “My grandfather, cowboy, Cliff Gatewood, founder of the Wild West show called “the Flying X Ranch and Rodeo. 1935.”
20. “My great-grandfather as a cowboy out west in the early 1900’s.”
21. “Cowboys of the Open Range as Photographed by Erwin E. Smith. 1905-12. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. More info in comments.”
22. “1916 Chinese-American cowboy from the Autry Center of the American West.”