Making a Living

Making a Living

Making a living in the old west involved various occupations and industries that shaped the economy and daily life. From mining to ranching, settlers found diverse ways to sustain themselves and contribute to the growth of the region.
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Open range

Open range

In the Western United States and Canada, open range is rangeland where cattle roam freely regardless of land ownership. Where there are "open range" laws, those wanting to keep animals off their property must erect a fence to keep animals out; this applies to public roads as well.

Pinkerton (detective agency)

Pinkerton (detective agency)

Pinkerton is an American private investigation agency and security company established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born American cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinkerton & Co. and finally the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

Ranch

Ranch

A ranch (from Spanish: rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm.

Sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, the sýslumaður, which is commonly translated to English as sheriff.

Teamster

Teamster

A teamster is a truck driver or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union.

Texas Ranger Division

Texas Ranger Division

The Texas Ranger Division, also known as the Texas Rangers and nicknamed the Diablos Tejanos (Spanish for 'Texan Devils'), is an investigative law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Texas, based in the capital city Austin.

United States Marshals Service

United States Marshals Service

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice. It operates under the direction of the United States attorney general. It is tasked with enforcing the decisions of and providing protection for the United States federal judiciary.

Vaquero

Vaquero

The vaquero (Spanish: [baˈkeɾo]; Portuguese: vaqueiro, European Portuguese: [vɐˈkɐjɾu]) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, and extensively developed in what is today Mexico (then New Spain). from methods brought to the Americas from Spain.