In one way – perhaps the best way to look at this subject – the Wild West has yet to end. The “Wild West” is and always has been a figment of the imagination, the realm of literature and mass media. From early dime novels and Wild West shows to, now movies and television shows, the West has been and is depicted in ways that exaggerate or invent characteristics of the region. I have even seen European expressions of the Wild West in the form of re-enactors, where many of the participants have not been to that region of North America. In short, the Wild West can be dramatically removed from the West.

The West is the largest region of North America, and as such, it has been and is many things. Parts of it have been perceived as wilderness and some of it is today designated as “Wilderness Areas.” Embedded in the term “wilderness” is the word “wild,” but it is important to remember that from a Native American point of view that was simply the land upon which they dwelled – and continue to live. Acknowledging diverse points of view, large parts of the West – wildernesses and parks – continue to be very wild.

The US Census Bureau famously declared the American frontier closed in 1890, an indication that uninhabited or officially managed land was no longer available in the continental US. Was that the end of a “West” that was perceived as “Wild”? Perhaps. It is certainly one of the best solid dates upon which to hang one’s cowboy hat. Except that most people did not wear cowboy hats! And they weren’t gunslingers. Or bank robbers. Or “wild Indians.” Or any of the other characters that populate the imagination when the term “Wild West” is thrown about.

The unfortunate thing is that we cannot adequately answer your question because the term cannot be adequately defined. I have published on aspects of the West in Nevada and California. What I have found is a West that could be rugged and occasionally violent. But mostly, people hoped for peace and prosperity, and that is what they worked for. And because the West is so enormous, my publications deal with only a small corner of the real West.

The real West has not ended, nor will it ever. And in some way, the Wild West will also never end.