The Real West

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The Real West

The Cowboy Code or Code of the Old West

Here in The Last Best West we believe in the Cowboy Code. . .and not the one Tom Mix and his movie studio used to win over young fans to his early western movies. . .the sentiment was right but the code was hokey.

In the Real West The Code of the West was an intangible thing born out of  a necessity for survival, and is more of an observation on how people acted, then anything else. . .in essence this was The Code of the West:

A true Cowboy always helps his neighbor, feeds a stranger and his horse, and maintains his free and independent spirit. In the real west you never asked a stranger his name or where he came from. It was considered a slight to call another man by his last name – and often last names weren’t even known. A cowboy’s loyalty to his ranch, his friends, and his abilities as a rider and a cow hand were all that mattered.

Real Cowboys

Say Little and Complain Even Less

  • To a Real Cowboy all women are ladies and all ladies are respected
  • Never touch a Cowboy’s hat or try to pat his dog.
  • A Cowboy never puts his hat on a bed – it’s bad luck. (see below for the answer)
  • When a Cowboy has his hat on straight or tilted down it means he’s expectin’ bad weather or trouble, and when it is tipped back, he’s friendly and affable.
  • When his hat is off a Cowboy is eatin’.
  • In the Real West if you wanted to pick a fight – just tip yer hat to a man.

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· Death smiles at everyone – Cowboys smile back. . .
– Thanks Brad from Pecos, Texas
Cowboys always tip their hats to the ladies.
– Thanks Nigel from Manchester
· Cowboy’s always feed their horses ‘fore themselves.
– Thanks Michael from Calgary
· Cowboy’s talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.
– Thanks Charlene from El Paso
· Cowboys take off their spurs before sitting on fine furniture.
– Thanks Tom from Galveston
· Real Cowboys never squat with their spurs on.
– Thanks Lawrence in Calgary.
· A cowboy is known for his hat. Real Cowboys wear a Last Best Cowboy Hat – Thanks Kevin in Dallas.
· Real Cowboys eat Alberta Beef – Thanks Aileen from Longview
· With a real cowboy the bull dung’s on the outside. – Thanks Wray from Seebe

· A cowboy knows a good horse never comes in a bad color. – Thanks Wasey from Peace River
· A real west cowboy would never let a 5 buck meal ruin a 100 dollar drunk! – Thanks Little Duke

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Here’s perhaps the best example of Cowboy Poetry!

Reincarnation – by Wallace McRae

“What does Reincarnation mean?”
A cowpoke asked his friend.
His pal replied, “It happens when
Yer life has reached its end.
They comb yer hair, and warsh yer neck,
And clean yer fingernails,
And lay you in a padded box
Away from life’s travails.”

“The box and you goes in a hole,
That’s been dug into the ground.
Reincarnation starts in when
Yore planted ‘neath a mound.
Them clods melt down, just like yer box,
And you who is inside.
And then yore just beginnin’ on
Yer transformation ride.”

“In a while, the grass’ll grow
Upon yer rendered mound.
Till some day on yer moldered grave
A lonely flower is found.
And say a hoss should wander by
And graze upon this flower
That once wuz you, but now’s become
Yer vegetative bower.”

“The posy that the hoss done ate
Up, with his other feed,
Makes bone, and fat, and muscle
Essential to the steed,
But some is left that he can’t use
And so it passes through,
And finally lays upon the ground
This thing, that once wuz you.”

“Then say, by chance, I wanders by
And sees this upon the ground,
And I ponders, and I wonders at,
This object that I found.
I thinks of reincarnation,
Of life and death, and such,
And come away concludin’: ‘Slim,
You ain’t changed, all that much.'”

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Cowboy Wisdom

A friendly game of cowboy poker turns on a card in the real west

Why is it bad luck to put your hat on a bed?

A cowboy never wears his hat in bed, and a cowboy would only be in bed during the day if he was sick…so by putting your hat on a bed you risk bringing sickness or other bad luck on yourself. 


Legends of the West Posters

  • Jesse James Poster - The Middle Border Marauder

    Our poster paper is heavy duty 60# stock, special ordered by the ream, and is the closest we have found to actual parchment paper that would have been used in the 19th century. It's heavy weight and won't get torn or blown off  the hitching post! We don't stain it (reducing it's life) all our aging is done with graphics - making them crisp and clear. Our original old west posters are just the thing for decorating your wild west saloon, office, SASS Clubhouse, Firearms Shop, Shooting Range, or any other western themed business. Posters are all ~ 11 x 17 and are shipped flat. All Authentic Wanted Posters Package Legends of the West Posters Package Original Wild West Poster Line
  •  Bat Masterson Poster - an original old west poster from the last best west William Barclay Masterson. Our poster paper is heavy duty stock, special ordered by the ream, and is the closest we have found to actual parchment paper that would have been used in the 19th century. It's heavy weight and won't get torn or blown off the hitching post! We don't stain it (reducing it's life) all our aging is done with graphics - making them crisp and clear. Posters are all ~ 11 x 17 inches and are shipped flat.

    Authentic Wanted Posters Legends of the West  ~ Original Wild West Poster Line

  • Wild Bill Hickok Poster - James Butler Hickok The prototype of the old west pistol fighter, Bill Hickok had the size, the sad eyes and the heroic exploits to make an impression on most anybody. When Dave Tutt bragged he could, "Shoot a bird on the wing"  in Springfield, 1865, Bill Hickok was quick to reply, "Did the crow have a pistol? Was he shooting back? I will be." There's a number of reasons people say Hickok and Tutt fought, but what ever it was this is about the only actual documented face off in a dusty street in Old West History. And so on July 21, 1865, in the town square of Springfield, Missouri, Hickok shot dead Davis Tutt, Jr. All Authentic Wanted Posters Package Legends of the West Posters Package Original Wild West Poster Line
  • Wyatt Earp Poster - The Story-Book Marshal "Fast is fine - but accuracy is final."  Our poster paper is heavy duty 65# stock, special ordered by the ream, and is the closest we have found to actual parchment paper that would have been used in the 19th century. It’s heavy weight and won’t get torn or blown off  the hitching post! We don’t stain it (reducing it’s life) all our aging is done with graphics – making them crisp and clear. Our original old west posters are just the thing for decorating your wild west saloon, office, SASS Clubhouse, Firearms Shop, Shooting Range, or any other western themed business. Posters are all ~ 11 x 17 and are shipped flat. All Authentic Wanted Posters Package Legends of the West Posters Package Original Wild West Poster Line
  • Doc Holliday Poster - J.H. Holliday - Dentist

    Our poster paper is heavy duty 65# stock, special ordered by the ream, and is the closest we have found to actual parchment paper that would have been used in the 19th century. It’s heavy weight and won’t get torn or blown off  the hitching post! We don’t stain it (reducing it’s life) all our aging is done with graphics – making them crisp and clear. Our original old west posters are just the thing for decorating your wild west saloon, office, SASS Clubhouse, Firearms Shop, Shooting Range, or any other western themed business. All Authentic Wanted Posters Package Legends of the West Posters Package Original Wild West Poster Line

  • Augustus Custom Handmade Hat

    $355.00$770.00
    augustus custom handmade hat style from the classic mini-series, Lonesome Dove (1989) Loveable old Ranger Augustus McCrae is the scalawag that keeps the Hat Creek Cattle Company loose and is a great counter balance to the salty Woodrow Call.  This style of old west crown with it's 3 pinch cavalry creasing was first called the "Tom Mix" after the early movie star, and then became known as "The Gus" crease because of  Lonesome Dove. This is a great look for both men and women! 250_white_filials
    • CROWN: 6 inches
    • BRIM: 4"
    • Crown: Modified 3 pinch cavalry
    • Brim: Hand worked and rolled
    • Hatband: Custom 1/2" leather twist
    • Color shown: Sand
    • hats ship in 12-14 weeks
    • Personalized with your name inside the crown
  • Captain Call Handmade Hat

    $355.00$770.00
    A custom cowboy movie hat from Lonesome Dove (1989) Our take on the hat style worn by Tommy Lee Jones The Tommy Lee Jones cowboy hat from Lonesome Dove. The Captain Call Handmade Hat is like the character simple, unrefined, and basic. A classic Boss of the Plains with a heavy dip front and back on the bound brim.
    • Crown: 6 inches
    • Brim: 4"
    • Crown: Open - uncreased
    • Brim: Bound Hand shaped dipped front and back.
    • Hatband: 1" grosgrain ribbon with bow
    • Color shown: Black in 20X fur-felt
    • hats ship in 6-8 weeks.
    • Personalized with your name inside the crown
    • Hatband not sold separately
  • Samuel Jones Movie Hat

    $380.00$770.00
    Our version of the Samuel Jones Movie Hat - from The Missing The Samuel Jones Hat is the one worn by Tommy Lee Jones, as Samuel Jones, a  white man turned Apache, who returns to his estranged daughter in time to try and rescue his grand-daughter from slave traders. Like the character there is nothing fancy about this hat, a simple open crowned cowboy hat with a bit of a pencil roll.
    • CROWN HEIGHT: 5" INCHES Open
    • BRIM: 4" 1/2" Pencil roll, with a gentle hand roll - Bound.
    • Color: Pecan
    • Hatband: Satin Ribbon with bow, with matching bound edge.
    • Personalized with your name inside the crown
  • Sundance Kid Cowboy Hat

    $390.00$770.00
    Sundance Kid Cowboy Hat - Our take on a classic western movie hat the hat worn by Robert Redford in 1969s, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  This hat is pretty nondescript and is a good representation of the type of hat that would have been seen in the later half of the 19th century on many of the cowboys riding through the west.
    • Crown: 4 1/4" inches Telescope
    • Brim: 3 1/4 inches open with a gentle hand-roll
    • Color: Chocolate with light trail dust
    • Hatband: 1/2" distressed brown leather
    • Personalized with your name inside the crown

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