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Who were the cowboys?

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When cattle ranching declined in importance, many cowboys ended up working as extras on cowboy films! Hollywood films, cowboy novels and, later, TV programmes such as 'Bonanza', glamourised the cowboys, and made them seem like heroes.Was this a true reflection of genuine cowboys? Read on to discover what real cowboys were like.

The real cowboys

Black cowboy with his horse

Nat Love, African American cowboy, c.1876

The Hollywood image of cowboys was not realistic. Many real cowboys were black ex-slaves, whereas the Hollywood heroes were always white. Also, after the hardships of the long drive, it seems unlikely that many genuine cowboys were specially good-looking!

They were, however, highly skilled. They could ride, shoot, lasso, wrangle, round up, herd, cross rivers, 'turn' stampedes, scout, keep watch and drive off rustlers - all in rain, hail and burning sun.

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