Saloons mostly looked the same throughout the west. They had the common wooden front with a wooden boardwalk. There were always a few hitching posts to tie a horse. Often times a water source would be located close by for horses to drink. The front doors always consisted of two swinging doors, that would brush up against a cowboy as he walked into the main bar area. The bar itself was very long to accommodate many standing customers. The floor area consisted of wooden tables and chairs.

It was common to see a group of men playing a friendly game of poker or telling long stories of their travels. Most of the violence started in the saloon and at times emptied out into the roadway.

The first saloons to open were not the typical saloons that we all know from the movies and books. They were mostly tents or a square wooden structure with tent material thrown over the top. The material was enough to keep the rain off the heads of their costumers. The floors were not made of wood. Tent saloons never had floors of any type. If it rained the floors were muddy and if it was dry they were dusty. The only thing the early saloon offered was whiskey and a place to sit and rest.

The first whiskey ever to be served in a saloon was not the fine whiskey that New Yorkers or those from Chicago would sip. This stuff was raw and made right in the camp or town. The simple ingredients included raw alcohol, sugar that was burnt and a little pouch chewing tobacco. Whiskey with terrible names like “Coffin Varnish”, “Tarantula Juice”, “Red Eye” and others were common among the early saloons.

Later the word “Firewater” would be used to describe Whiskey. It took on the name during trading with Indians. To explain what Whiskey was to the Indians, the cowboy would pour it over the fire to show its potency. With a high enough proof, Whiskey acted like gasoline on the fire. Soon firewater was the name of the drink. If you were a light weight and sipped your whiskey, you could be certain to find yourself drinking a 5th of Whiskey at gun point. Sipping was considered a weakness and not tolerated!

Beer was not as common as whiskey, yet there were those that drank it. Since pasteurization was not invented yet, a cowboy had to take his beer warm and drink it quick. If not, the beer would get warmer and go flat. Whiskey kept its taste and potency no matter the temperature. It was not until 1880′s that Adolphus Busch invented artificial refrigeration and methods of pasteurization to the brewing process. Soon after Budweiser was launched as a U.S. national brand.

In the late 1820′s, Bent’s Fort, Colorado opened what we know as the first saloon in the west. There were a few little towns which already had cantinas, but they did not compare to saloons that would soon spread like wild fire throughout the west.

Striking gold was a big indicator that a saloon would popup in that town. In 1848, Santa Barbara, California only had one cantina. Yet after the discovery of gold, the town soon grew to 30 saloons. Towns like Livingston, Montana, with its 3,000 residents had no less than 33 saloons. Back in those days, it was easy to open a business. Innovation and growth was on the incline. Saloons were profitable and with a large customer base.

• “Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction” – This is pretty obvious. A bull will charge you, a horse will kick you and a fool will just make your life miserable.

• If a cowboy was tired and wanted to squat down on his legs to rest, spurs would cut into his thighs. So the saying, “Don’t squat with your spurs on” was relevant for the time”.

• The saying, “Don’t judge people by their relatives” means take a person for who he/she is and don’t fault them for their family’s mistakes”.

• This saying has been changed with the times, but in the old west you may have heard it placed in this manner, “Behind every successful rancher is a wife who works in town”. In today’s times we say, “Behind every successful man their is a strong woman”. See how similar this one is?

• Ever hear the saying, “When you lose, don’t lose the lesson”. This means when you end up losing a game, bet, etc. Learn from your mistakes, so you have better you chances next time.

• The saying, “Talk slowly, think quickly” means to think quickly in any situation, but think hard about your words before saying them. Once you say something it is hard to take it back.

• Ever hear the saying. “Silence is Golden”? There is an older saying, “Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer”. These mean the same exact thing. Sometimes it is best to hold your tongue or draw more problems to yourself.

• “Live a good, honorable life” – This saying is one of my favorite cowboy quotes. A righteous person will do his or her best to live an honorable life. Yet it is when we are older where we can truly look back and observe whether or not we were successful.

• If you ever heard the saying, “If it aint’ broke don’t fix it”, then the saying, “Don’t interfere with something that ain’t botherin’ you none” is understandable. When you try to fix something that is not broken, you usually break it.

• This saying is quite funny, “Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance“. A rain dance will only work if a storm is approaching. Most rain dances are done during the rainy season, so the timing of the dance is perfect for rain to actually come.

• This is a good one, “The easiest way to eat crow is while it’s still warm”. This means it is easier to ask for forgiveness or take back what you said, right after it has been verbalized.

• Most of us get ourselves in deeper and deeper trouble once a problem starts. We don’t know how to stop. For example if a person is having trouble paying their credit card payment, for some reason they do not stop spending. This saying is for all those that don’t know how to stop, “If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’”.

These is handful of sayings that may roll of a cowboy’s tongue from time to time.

CHARRO: This a Mexican cowboy who conducts himself as a gentleman. Charros are flashy riders. They dress with traditional bright clothing. Jalisco and Guerrero are the main parts of Mexico where the charro originated from.

CHARREADA: This is a group of charros getting together to show their skilled riding, roping, and bull tailing.

BIG CIRCLE RIDERS: This term relates to where a Cowboy needs to start in relation to where the cattle are located. Once the cowboy has his spot, then it is just a matter of pushing the cattle into the holding grounds for processing.

BUCKAROO: Comes from the Mexico.
This is a rider from the states of northern Nevada, parts of southern Idaho, upper California and southeastern Oregon. They wore hats which were flat, chinks and rode saddles with the bucking rolls on them. They tended to ride with gear that was little more fancy than normal. It was common to see them with lots of silver.

CHUCK WAGON COOK: No matter where on the range the cattle was being driven, a cook or wagon driver was always on hand. The older a cowboy became the less he could work the range. He would retire into a Cook or Wagon driver. Both were well respected position for a retiring cowboy.

COW BOSS: This was the main cowboy. In was in charge of the entire cattle operation. They would do the hiring and directing of the cowboys. He only answered to the general manager of the ranch.

COWGIRL: This is the female version of the cowboy. Most women in the old west were good for taken care of the household chores and also lending a hand with the ranch duties. She was also good with a weapon. The rifle was the weapon of choice for the cowgirl.

These are just a handful of terms that a cowboy needed to know while on the range.

Ten thousand cattle straying,
As rangers sang of old;
The warm chinook’s delaying,
The aspen shake with cold.
Ten thousand herds are passing,
So pass the golden years;
Behind us clouds are massing,
Like the last of the old frontiers.

It is poems like these that made the long day bearable and the job a little easier. It was not uncommon for a cowboy to put a poem like this to song. Many would carry some sort of instrument with them.

Guitars would often be pulled out of their belongings for a night of song and poetry around the campfire. Harmonicas  were also a instrument of choice. At times someone might be carrying a fiddle, while others would choose just to sing along and clap. Scenes like this were common in the old west.

There was more to a cowboy than just shooting and bringing the cattle home. They had to be good at communicating and entertaining themselves and others. You may notice that most of the poetry written and verbalized by cowboys focused on a job, woman or the loneliness of the range.

The jobs were backbreaking, the environment harsh and depending on the area, danger was always an issue. You could easily run into a few problems when traveling from town to town. Most of the cowboy poetry you read comes from the south western part of the United States. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California were all big cowboy states.

Cowboy poetry is not the most popular topic when the conversation turns to cowboys, but it does give us a different perspective on the men and women that helped shape the old west. They had a softer side to them that is rarely written about in books or shown in movies.