What you learned in school
History textbooks depicted the American frontier as a lawless wasteland with constant gunfights and daily violence. Students learned about the "Wild West" as a place where life was cheap, law enforcement was absent, and disputes were settled with bullets. Hollywood westerns and popular culture reinforced this image of non-stop violence and chaos.
What we know now
History classes taught that the American frontier was incredibly violent, with constant gunfights, lawlessness, and death. Students learned about daily shootouts and a complete absence of law and order. Hollywood westerns reinforced this image of constant violence. Historical research shows that murder rates in many Wild West towns were actually lower than in modern American cities. Most frontier towns had functioning legal systems, and violence was often concentrated around specific activities like cattle drives or mining booms. The period was less uniformly violent than popular culture suggests.