How wild was the Wild West? Were gunfights really a daily occurrence? Or is that just a byproduct

of Hollywood and the dime novels? As I'm sure you can imagine, the answer is somewhat complicated.

Hell, I even had to bust out a calculator. First, though, I think it's important to clarify what we

mean when we say the Wild West. And truth be told, there's not really a definitive answer.

It just kind of depends on what you're envisioning. For instance, the era of the cowboy, at least

in regard to the large cattle drives, was pretty short-lived, roughly from 1865 to 1895.

Likewise for the so-called Indian Wars. Out west, for the most part, the major

conflicts between the indigenous and the U.S. Army wouldn't kick off until after the Civil

War, and they were effectively over just two decades later with the surrender of Geronimo.

Or maybe you're thinking of the Mountain Men. Once again, very short-lived.

We're talking from circa 1820 to around 1840.

Now, me personally, I tend to think of the old west as just being the entirety of the 19th century west of the Mississippi River.

I know that's a very broad, sweeping, oversimplified definition.

It's not perfect, but hey, it works for me.

The question still remains, though. How do you go about determining how deadly the Wild West was?

How do you even quantify that? I mean, think about it. How often did fur trappers ride out into

the high lonesome, never to be seen again. How many crow fell to the blackfeet?

How many black feet fell to the Nez Perse? And what were the casualties like between the Comanche

and the Spaniards? How likely was it for someone crossing the prairie to be ambushed by hostiles?

How many homesteaders were murdered over their claims out in the middle of nowhere? Their bodies

never discovered.

How many outlaws fought amongst themselves and simply left their victims in a shallow grave?

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