Tips on Researching the Old West

Copyright 2020 by Gary L. Pullman

Authors who write historical fiction learn—or should learn—about a lot of topics related to the times in which their novels are set. I thought that readers and other fans of the genre might enjoy learning how this writer approaches such research.

For example, in writing On the Track of Vengeance, the fourth novel in my series, An Adventure of the Old West, I had occasion to research a number of subjects, some of which I used in the story, others of which, for one reason or another, fell by the wayside:

In 1880, how much did a gold bar weigh, and what was it worth?

A gold bar weighed 400 troy ounces, or 27.4 pounds and, in 1880, was worth $18.94 per troy ounce.

Therefore, a 27.4-pound (400-troy-ounce) bar of gold would have been worth $7,576.

Besides six-gun and six-shooter, what synonyms were available, in 1880, for the word “revolver”?

A revolver was also sometimes called a “wheelgun.”

In what year did these terms come into use:

Derringer: 1850

Gunfight: 1889 (oops! Can't be used in a novel set in 1880!)

Gunfighter: 1889
Gunfire: 1801

Gunman: 1620s

Gunplay: 1891 (oops! Can't be used in a novel set in 1880!)

Gunshot: early 15^th century

Gunslinger: 1916 (oops! Can't be used in a novel set in 1880!)

Handgun: 1930s (oops! Can't be used in a novel set in 1880!)

Shootist: 1864

Shotgun: 1821

Six-gun: 1912 (oops! Can't be used in a novel set in 1880!)

Six-shooter: 1884

Wheelgun: ? (may be best not to use unless additional research uncovers first-use date)

In addition to ensuring that the words used in a novel were actually in use at the time the story is set, it's a good idea to verify one's understanding of these terms. For example, a pommel isn't the same as a saddle horn, but a spittoon (which came into general use in 1811) is the same as the cuspidor (which originated in 1779).

Click the image to enlarge it.

Where can I find a good map of the Central Pacific Railroad route?

I found an excellent digital copy of a superb map of this route, but, alas!, I am now unable to locate the map or the website.

Fortunately, I saved a copy, which is highly recommended. A list of websites' URLs, or addresses, is great—until one of the sites vanishes from the Internet forever. It's best to keep both a list of the addresses and a copy of each image you may want as a present or future reference.

Where might I locate accounts of the origins of numerous towns along the route of the Central Pacific Railroad route?

For brief histories of the towns along the railroad's route, I used Wikipedia, verifying the online encyclopedia's accounts with other, more reputable sources. When I found a town of particular interest, I did further, more involved research, often using Google Books, public or university libraries, and other databases.

To confirm my memories and to further my knowledge about horses, I consulted YouTube videos by contemporary, working cowboys, marksmen, trackers, and other experts. As a result, I learned a lot about how to lead a string of horses (or mules); how a Colt .45 single-action revolver looks when it fires; how to track fugitives; and a lot of other topics.

When it's necessary to know what a past dollar amount would be in today's dollars, US Inflation Calculator is an invaluable resource. I've used it to get an idea of the value of amounts posted on reward posters, for example, and to evaluate the modern equivalents of gold prices and daily purchases and wages during the times in which my novels are set (about 1865 to 1880 at present).

Facsimiles of Western newspapers are often helpful in researching a story, as are vintage maps. For a variety of other historical research materials, try Internet Archive.

I had to become acquainted with not only the transcontinental railroad in general, but also with the route of the Central Pacific Railroad in particular and the use and detonation of dynamite, the building of snowsheds and trestles, labor relations associated with railroads and their workers, types of sabotage, the day-to-day functions of U.S. marshals, hotel registry books, wanted posters (Hollywood Westerns notwithstanding, few such posters actually included photographs of fugitives, I learned; usually, drawings were used, if there were any illustrations at all), and a host of other details.

I may have made a few mistakes (although I try hard to avoid doing so), but I'm confident that, if so, I made far fewer than I would have, had I not done my homework.

Keeping a database of useful sources and a gallery of usable photographs, diagrams (especially labeled ones), drawings, illustrations, and other sources of information about the Wild West can benefit an author in writing a whole series of novels. (It's educational and fun as well.)

Jim Levy (Leavy): At The End of a Trail of Violence

Copyright 2019 by Gary L. Pullman

Pioche, Nevada, 1885

Abilene. Cripple Creek. Deadwood. Dodge City. Tombstone. There are towns with more famous names than that of Pioche, Nevada, but historians have verified that Pioche was as rough and tough as any other town in America's Wild West.

Although Pioche's Jim Levy (also spelled Leavy) wasn't as famous as Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, or Doc Holliday, he did develop a reputation as a man who was skilled with a six-gun and someone it was dangerous to cross, and Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson considered him a skilled gunfighter.

He started his career as a gunfighter in hope of inheriting $5,000. In a gunfight with fellow miner Mike Casey, Thomas Gosson (also spelled Gasson) was fatally wounded. His dying proclamation was to will $5,000 to anybody who killed Casey.

Pioche, Nevada

In the 1871 gunfight that occurred between Casey and Levy, in front of Freudenthals' General Store, Levy wounded his adversary, putting Casey out of his misery by pistol-whipping him, an act that earned Levy both a pistol shot to the jaw from one of the dead man's friends and the money Gossan had bequeathed to Casey's killer.

In Pioche, in January 1873, Levy was also involved in another duel to the death, this time against Thomas Ryan. Due to a lack of evidence needed to prosecute Levy for murder, the gunfighter was released. Sometime during the next two years, he left Pioche.

On March 9, 1877, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Levy became involved in yet another gunfight, this time against Charlie Harrison. Like Levy, Harrison had a history of violence, having killed several of foes. Insults Harrison made about the Irish during a card game in which Levy was also a player infuriated the Nevada gunfighter, and the men agreed to settle their score outside. They later faced off in front of Frenchy's Saloon.

Although Harrison got off the first shot—or the first few shots—his aim was inaccurate. Levy's was not, and he shot Harrison in the chest. To finish the job, Levy approached his fallen foe and shot him again. Witnesses took umbrage at this second, needless exhibition of Levy's skill, but he was never prosecuted for killing Harrison.

Tucson, Arizona

In Tucson, Arizona, Levy came to the end of his trail. This time, his dispute was with John Murphy, who was dealing cards in a faro game at the Fashion Saloon. The men agreed to settle their differences in a gunfight the next morning. 

Instead, Murphy and his friends, Bill Moyer and Dave Gibson, encountering Levy just after midnight as he approached the Palace Saloon's front door, opened fire on Levy, assuming the gunfighter was armed.

Levy believed the shots had been fired from within the saloon and fled outside—a mistake that cost him his life, when he ran straight into his enemies' gunfire. Although Murphy, Moyer, and Gibson were arrested and held in jail for killing an unarmed man, they escaped, and Murphy and Gibson evaded capture. Moyer was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.