Showdown of Death: Duels in the Wild West

Showdown of Death: Duels in the Wild West

There are many ways to die in the West, but none are more common than the old-fashioned duel. When two men are usually fifteen paces away from each other and then stare each other down until the first one to draw and fire their gun is the victor. Dueling was the common way to settle disputes in the Wild West, but this era was certainly not the first to adapt such a practice. The art and concept of dueling itself dates back a few centuries, with the only difference being that back then, they duelled with swords, sabers, and, later, dueling pistols. During the Wild West era, men duelled with their own pistols. Duels, for the most part, all ended the same. With one man getting shot dead because he didn’t draw his gun fast enough. Sometimes, on rare occasions, there would be draws where both men got a shot off, but neither was mortally wounded. Then there’s the even rarer double death where both men not only got their shot off, but both fired at the same time, killing one another. But why was dueling such a common way to settle matters? Also, how serious did a matter have to be for two men to settle their differences?

Dueling was a common practice because during the Wild West era, most men carried a gun, and they were weary of each other if they didn’t know one another. Naturally, if most people carried guns back then, then the only reasonable way to settle a dispute or issue was to duel to the death. Sure, it seems crazy in today’s society, but back then, it was as common as going down to the local store to get a gallon of milk. Dueling was considered the “middleman” to solve a problem. If two men couldn’t talk out their differences normally and neither one wanted to be an outright murderer, they found common ground by going with the middleman, which was to duel. Most men knew the rules, and if both agreed, they usually went out into the dirt road and stood a short distance from each other. Sometimes there was a moderator, but not always. Then the stare down began, and the first person to draw their gun was usually the winner and went back to doing what they were doing before they got into the dispute.

How serious did a matter have to be for two men to settle their differences? The truth is, it didn’t have to be serious at all. The good duels were the ones where one man accused another of cheating at poker, fighting over a saloon girl's services, or trespassing on someone else’s land without their permission. Many duels took place over far lesser concerns, such as simple intimidation or an outlaw came to town to challenge the best shooter in town. But unfortunately, the most common reason men duel is for the dumbest reasons possible. If one man didn’t like the way another man looked, if one looked at the other wrong, accusing another of horse thievery, or the biggest one of all, because one was drunk and mouthed off to someone he shouldn’t have, and ultimately paid the price for it. While dueling was a common practice, it didn’t always have to happen, and when it did, for dumb reasons, it usually meant a man died for no good reason at all.

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