Throughout history, drinkers have often believed alcohol to be one part of medicinal concoction and one part sanitizer. However, early saloons didn’t practice such cleanliness. They weren’t even called “saloons” in the beginning. They were just makeshift structures that housed poor-quality liquors.
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Image via Wikipedia
The alcohol they served was low-quality, which earned them the nickname "rotgut." Though bars often had towels hanging over their railings, they were not there to dry off their customers’ hands after a wash. Instead, these towels were used to wipe beer off of men's beards.
In recent years, men have been growing out their hair and cultivating beards and even mustaches. Frontiersmen and cowboys preferred to groom themselves at every opportunity. As soon as they arrived in a new city, they always cleaned themselves up with a shave and a haircut. You know what they say, "A clean-shaved man is a well-groomed man."
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However, early American settlers were unable to care for their hair in the wilderness. Consequently, their hair grew long. The length of one's hair was a good indication of how much time someone had spent traveling and exploring, and thus, how far they had journeyed.
Those who set out to expand the nation westward did so to improve their lot in life. However, they were heading into a world of unknown diseases. The bacteria and viruses they brought from the old country mingled with diseases from the new world.
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Night Scene. Jean-Honore Fragonard
In addition, many were inadequately treated due to a lack of proper medical care and expertise. Many of these pioneering frontiersmen passed away from a number of diseases ranging from influenza to measles and tuberculosis.
In addition to boots and the Stetson hat, cowboys and cowgirls know that the bandana is an indispensable part of the outfit. While its use as a fashion statement dates back to the nineteenth century, there is a practical reason why American Western pioneers wore them.
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It’s a fact of the Wild West that cowboys would use kerchiefs. This was so that they could guard their noses and mouths from the dry, dusty winds of the American Southwest, as well as to protect themselves from the desert sun.
We’ve talked about how the length of a pioneer's hair reflected the length of the journeys they’d taken. But as technology and appliances evolved over time, hairstyles and hygiene products evolved along with them.
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As more self-grooming products became available, men realized that it was important to clean their hair and that having long, unkempt hair could be risky. Soon enough, longer styles went out of fashion, and clean-shaven faces and short hairstyles became the norm.
Due to a shortage of water, people in the past didn't brush their teeth much and didn't have that many dental products. Although there were quite a few dentists around, pulling a tooth out yourself was a common way to fix a toothache.
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Not only that, but people had to make their own toothpaste. It was a very “do it yourself” society. Just imagine having a barber or blacksmith pull out your tooth with pliers! Whiskey was sometimes used to numb the pain of surgery since anesthetics were not yet available.
The people of the American West were wary of bathing too frequently, as they feared it would make them ill. Their reasoning was that if one were “too clean,” their pores would be “too open,” and bacteria could get in. Since getting uncontaminated water was difficult, many pioneers avoided showering and bathing altogether.
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People used to go without bathing, but not showering led to fungal infections. Unfortunately, the cowboys of the time didn't learn this the easy way—they learned that not showering caused problems only after they got infected.
Horseback riding was a popular form of transportation on the old western frontier. Men would saddle their horses and then ride them for days at a time. What makes these travelers seem so romantic to us now is that they were known for being pros at horseback riding.
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Unfortunately, the combination of long travel times and unsanitary conditions while riding these majestic creatures led to many cases of chafing and saddle sores. If cowboys didn’t bathe, then their horses probably didn’t, either. So when cowboys strutted into town after a long trip, it meant that they probably smelled awful.
In the old days, cowboys didn’t have many pastimes. Instead, they spent most of their free time at the saloon. The most popular drink in those days was whiskey, a mixture of burnt sugar, alcohol, and chewing tobacco.
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Image via Wikipedia
This powerful drink often led to fights—it made people feel so bombastic that they would become inclined to take unnecessary risks, such as knocking another man in the teeth. Another favorite was “cactus wine,” made from tequila and peyote tea. Both drinks were potent, and as such, caused a lot of fights and even deaths.
During the California Gold Rush, pork and beans were staple foods out on the frontier. The fact is, during the Wild West Era, most meals were simple as food was scarce. This was because it would have been hard to get nutritional supplies before the railroads were built.
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Image via Library of Congress
As train tracks were being laid, food supplies were hard to come by. Most settlers hunted for their food rather than waiting around. When settlements became more established, more food products became available, which allowed them to eat a wider variety of meals
