I’ve recently finished Red Dead Redemption 2, a linear narrative following a deteriorating band of outlaws constantly escaping the hands of the law and the ‘Pinkertons’ following a grand bank robbery that goes devastatingly wrong. How true is the idea of the law taming the West in the millennium transition into industrial America, did the Pinkertons actually ever exist (or a similar agency for that matter) - and how did they actually tackle the ruthlessness of the path of outlawed west America into its tamed, industrial beginning of the 20th century.
Hello! I’m an historian that specializes in Texas History, and I have done a lot of research and study on the history of the Old West and the characters that used to roam those frontiers. In addition, I’m also an active participant in the Red Dead franchise (starting with the original, Red Dead Revolver) and I am very familiar with the plot line you are referencing.
The best source, in my opinion, on the fundamental understanding of the Old West is Bat Masterson’s book “Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier”. If you are not familiar with him, Bat Masterson was one of the most renown figures of the Old West time period (which for me is considered 1865-1890). He was close friends with such people as the Earp Brothers, Doc Holiday (although he detested the guy), and others of the era such as John Hardin and Buffalo Bill. In Masterson’s later years, he became a journalist in New York City and wrote this book at the request of a number of colleagues.
In a way, the “Wild West” really just tamed its own self, but actually did not fully disappear until the start of the 1920s. The leading cause of this is primarily because of the growth and expansion of the more urban areas. Folks who had struggled so long in the rural settings found more refuge and finical gains in the cities (which I think Rockstar Games represented so well with St. Dennis). In addition, by the very late 1800s, advances in electricity and technology really attracted more people towards the cities than that of the rustic country life.
When it comes to bands of outlaws, there were still many criminal organizations that were operating well past 1900. Most of the gangs really started disappearing in the years between 1910 and 1915, which I think is accurately represented in the plot line of the first Red Dead Redemption. Outside of the cities, there just was not enough profit to gain from criminal activities after 1910, and cattle rustling was primarily the only profitable operation in the rural settings other than attempting bank robberies or train hold-ups.
I would claim, that the last of the Old West type of bandit gangs, were the Newton Boys. The Newton Gang was able to pull off a large amount of bank robberies and train hold-ups between 1919 and 1924 across Texas and Oklahoma.
So, in conclusion, I’d say that the West was tamed by the growth, expansion, and technological advancement of urban development. By the turn of the century, there were not as many profitable ventures in the rural areas that attracted bandits and outlaw factions; and those factors eventually led to the end of the Old West era.
I hope this helps. If you’d like to dig more into the history of the Old West, and the historical aspects that make the Red Dead Redemption franchise so historically attractive, I’d recommend the following list of sources:
Time Life’s “Old West” series
“Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier”
“Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend”
“Wyatt Earp’s 13 Dead Men”
“An Encyclopedia of Western Outlaws”
“True West” and “Wild West” magazines
Frontier Times magazine (which were published in the early 1900s).
I can provide a very limited answer to your question, and am hopeful that some other historians with a greater knowledge of the American West can assist you. My knowledge to a great degree is limited to Texas, and I can speak to this in Texas.
First off, in terms of the Pinkertons, they surely did exist. It was a detective agency.
The phrase "taming of the West," in my readings and study, actually has a much broader connotation that doesn't just deal with so-called outlaws. It also dealt with the indigenous people of the West, as there was violence between Anglo settlers and the indigenous people at various points in the 19th century. It was also a more broad, long-term transition than just 1899-1900. I regret that those broad strokes are all I'm comfortable speaking on concerning this topic, but hopefully this will lead to additional answers.
In Texas, while the Pinkertons were active from time to time, we actually had our own force, The Texas Rangers, which was a state law enforcement agency that also battled indigenous peoples along the Texas frontier. The force still exists today. They are often thought of in terms of stopping cattle rustlers (a major crime in Texas for many years that, in fact, still is today), and quelling uprisings at the border. Unfortunately, the Rangers also have a violent past in terms of Mexican Americans along the borderlands.
Very good question and I hope other historians here can chime in. My strongest expertise is in the fields of Texas history, American Reconstruction, and African American history, and to a lesser extent the American South. I have familiarity with the West in terms of knowing a lot of that history to help explain the overall history of the U.S., but it is not a specialty.