Live Life as a Cowboy and We’ll Guess Your Old West Name

HISTORY

By: Zoe Samuel

6 Min Quiz

Image: epicurean/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Being a cowboy in any age is a difficult job. It's not well paid. Cowboys are cut off from civilization for long periods. It is tough on the body and requires finely honed skills that the cowboy in question needs to be able to employ at a moment's notice. The cowboy life is about caring for animals, taking care of ranch infrastructure and maintaining both body and equipment in a state of readiness so that should a cow stray from the herd, it is brought back to the fold.

There are fewer stories of gun-slinging cowboys now, but vigilance for thieves maintains one of the cowboy's most important jobs. In the Old West, there was no FBI, and even finding a sheriff or a US Marshal could be a difficult task. Everyone had to look out for themselves against threats from both nature and from man. For those who needed to disappear into the frontier, had just come to America from another country or just for those who craved a life of adventure, the life of a cowboy in the Old West was alluring. In a world where moving from state to state meant the possibility of total self-reinvention, the cowboy life held a special appeal. Tell us how you would manage it, and we'll give you an Old West handle.

First and foremost, you have to gear up for your long ride. What kind of horse you want to take a gander at for your new job?

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Protection from the elements is important on the range. What kind of top layer will you wear?

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You'll need some entertainment when you make camp with your crew. What musical instrument do you pack?

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Cowboys sometimes employ dogs to help with herding livestock. What kind would you have on hand?

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Perhaps most personally, what kind of hat will you wear while working?

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Having a dangerous job means confronting threats. What kind of pistol do slap in your holster for the job?

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Some shots need to be further away than 20 paces. What kind of long gun do you hang from your saddle?

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Some cattle escaped their pen and have wandered toward a nearby pass. What should you do?

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You've been sent into town to pick up some supplies, but you'll have a whole extra day there. What would you plan to do with the spare time?

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You've been offered a bribe to let someone steal some of your boss's cattle. What do you do about it?

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A cowboy from another ranch has just cheated in a game of faro you're playing at a saloon casino. What do you do?

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While in town, a mysterious stranger offers to sell you a treasure map. The ball's in your court. What do you do?

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You've heard stories about one of the local gangs hanging out at the inn on the outskirts of town, with their latest score. What do you plan to do?

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Another cowboy wakes you up in the middle of the night. There's a fire in the barn! What in tarnation do you do?

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What time of year would you put the bulls in with the cows of your herd?

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There's a rumor going around about cattle getting sick in the territory. What do you plan to do about it?

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You see one of the other ranch hands stealing from the strongbox. What's the plan, partner?

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Your plan backfired and now everyone thinks you stole from the boss! What's the first thing you do?

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Pursued to the edge of the property by the other cowboys, you're on your own. What are your next steps?

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Back in town, the mysterious stranger knows what happened to you, and promises to clear your name for a price ... Do you agree to it?

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The ranch thief tells the sheriff that you're a thief and a liar, and says you stole even more than you were accused of before. Can ya'll handle this?

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There's a shootout at the inn where you're staying, but no witnesses and you're the only person with a piece. Do you surrender?

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Running to the border, you have several options in terms of routes. Which do you take?

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Starving and crossing the wastes on your own, you see what look like animal tracks. What's your plan?

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Wretched and friendless, you stumble into a ranch that could use your services for a few days. Do you take them up on it?

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An oil baron's thugs show up to convince your new boss to sell his land for a pittance. What do you do?

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The oil baron finds out who you are and tells the US marshal where to find you. The rancher wants to hide you to repay you for defending the ranch. What choice do you make?

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Forced to sell your bullets, horse and provisions for a train ticket, to where do you go?

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You overheard someone say where the strongbox is located on the train. Masked bandits board the train to rob it, but they don't know where the strongbox is. If they see your pistol, they'll turn on you. What do you do?

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The train stops in a vast, flat plain. Inside are the bandits, who are after you, and outside is a posse of marshals who are out for you. What's the plan?

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