Realism and the Old West

[Allen]

A somewhat continuation of previous threads on the old West.

Watching old TV westerns showing how hot, cold and dry it got at times you had to wonder how they took baths, how they washed their hair, brushed their teeth, etc. Bottom line is, they didn't. Wooden boardwalks along the store fronts served as a barrier from the horse poop and mud made from horse pee on the streets from getting into the stores.

Everything and everybody smelled.

Here is a YouTube video for your entertainment if you like and there are many others similar to this one. This one is mostly about hygiene. How awful it must have been for them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB5xDK4KYn0

[5thDragoons]

Realistic western TV programs... Dad liked Rawhide - he said it was the most accurate portrayal of moving cattle. He was a cowpoke from age 13 and knew a bit about the topic.

In my own experience, really hot days could be somewhat alleviated by jumping in a stock tank. SW