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What were Wild West duels actually like? Today, we look at how common the “classic” quick-draw duel was. We also touch on rates of violence in Old West frontier towns and explain what kind of day-to-day violence most closely mirrored the Wild West gunfights we see in films and books.

A big thanks to our viewers and Patreon supporters, especially Bobby Jordan and Sean!

Sources:

DeArment, Robert K. Deadly Dozen: Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West. University of Oklahoma Press, 2010.

Dillinger, Jessica. “The Most Dangerous Cities in the World.” World Atlas, 25 Apr. 2018, www.worldatlas.com/articles/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-world.html.

Dykstra, Robert R. “Quantifying the Wild West: The Problematic Statistics of Frontier Violence.” Western Historical Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 3, 2009, pp. 321–347.

Nichols, George Ward. “Wild Bill.” New Monthly Magazine, Feb. 1867, pp. 275–277. Hathi Trust, babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b000541577;view=1up;seq=7.

Pak, Eudie. “Famous Wild West Duel: Wild Bill Hickok vs. Davis Tutt.” Biography.com, 30 May 2012, www.biography.com/news/famous-wild-west-duel-wild-bill-hickok-vs-davis-tutt-20835321.

Roth, Randolph A. “Guns, Murder, and Probability: How Can We Decide Which Figures to Trust?” Reviews in American History, vol. 35, no. 2, June 2007, pp. 165–175.