After moving to Henderson, Nevada, it seems only natural that I write about the origin of gambling in the Old West.
Allow me to begin by saying that as a little
girl, I loved to watch TV westerns with my dad. One of our favorites was a show
called Maverick. The Maverick bothers, Bret (actor, James Garner who was my
favorite) and Bart (actor, Jack Kelly) were cardsharps who played poker on
Mississippi riverboats and throughout the American Old West. Getting in and out
of life-threatening trouble, often with comedic effect, they always won out,
good over evil. Granted the program was embellished with a lot of
"Hollywood," but was based on the historical fact that in the mid
1800's on the frontier, the popularity of gambling flourished.
As towns spread through the West, along river
crossings, near mining and logging sites, at railroad stops and outside Army
forts, saloons, brothels and gambling halls sprang up for the mainly male
population. Early camps with dirt-floor tents and bars made from boards
balanced between two whiskey barrels grew into prosperous towns with wooden
buildings with false fronts to make them look larger.
By mid-19th century,
cities boasted elegant saloons with ornate bars, huge bar mirrors and
chandeliers.
One of the most popular gambling games was
poker. The exact origin of the game is unknown. Some historians believe that it
came from a 16th century Persian card game called As Nas. Still others say it
can't be pinpointed in time and believe the game evolved from many different
countries.
Another, vingt-et-un (twenty-one), was
introduced in the predominately French community of New Orleans, a game now
called blackjack. However, the most popular gambling game in the West was faro,
its name supposedly derived from Egyptian pharaohs depicted on the back of
French playing cards.
The historic California gold rush of 1849
brought many of the Mississippi gamblers to San Francisco where large gambling
houses never closed their doors and enormous sums changed hands over the
tables. Then in the 1860's came the great mining excitement of the Comstock
Lode in Nevada. As in San Francisco, gambling houses dominated the main streets
of the new towns, the most populated centering around Virginia City.
The construction of the transcontinental
railroad across the continent produced a number of towns with flimsy erected
gambling halls, saloons, dance halls and brothels that became known as
"Hell on Wheels." Men working in the remote frontier, far from home,
gave cardsharps (depending on the region, also known as card sharks) plenty of
opportunity to separate such men from their wages. As the Union Pacific rail
line continually moved westward to meet the Central Pacific in its historic
linkup in Utah Territory on May 10, 1869, Hell on Wheels followed,
reconstructing their shacks, whiskey barrels, gambling equipment and other
belongings to the next location at the end of the line. A few of those
communities remained; today's cities, North Platte, NE, Julesburg, CO and Cheyenne,
WY can trace their origins to Hell on Wheels.
The decade of the 1870's brought more
boomtowns along its mining communities, namely Deadwood in Dakota Territory,
Tombstone in Arizona Territory and Leadville in Colorado. The famous Wild Bill
Hickok was shot to death as he sat in a poker game in a Deadwood saloon, and
the hand he held - aces and eights, became the legendary expression, ‘Dead
Man's Hand.’
With the advent of trail drives of Texas
Longhorns to the Kansas cow towns of Abilene, Wichita, and Dodge City, more
gambling meccas were built and more legendary names made Western history. With
backs to the wall and guns at their sides, lawmen, Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson
were well known for their gambling professions, as were Doc Holliday, Ben Thompson
and Luke Short.
During the late 19th century many frontier
towns and states enacted new laws against gambling, establishing limits and
mainly targeting the professional gamblers. At first, the anti-gaming laws were
weak and penalties were light. But with the rise of woman suffrage reform
movements across the nation in the early 20th century and the prohibition of
alcoholic beverages, the gambling laws were gradually strengthened. Ironically,
Nevada was one of the first states in the West to make gambling illegal in
1909, other states soon following suit.
By the time construction on the Hoover Dam was
underway in 1931, Nevada relaxed its gambling laws and casinos soon were back
in business. By 1939, six casinos and sixteen saloons were flourishing in Las
Vegas. As is often said, "the rest is history." Las Vegas became the
gambling and entertaining mecca it is today.
Over the years, gambling has grown in
popularity. And you don't have to travel to Las Vegas to place a bet.
Today many states have reintroduced gambling in limited formats and with
carefully regulated laws. One doesn't even have to leave the comfort of the
home, as anyone can log onto a computer to tempt the fates.
But the professional gamblers of the western
frontier are long lost legends and only remembered in history books .... or
seen on old TV western reruns .... or quite possibly read in books written by authors of Sweethearts of the West!
Born in Nebraska, Cheri Kay Clifton loved researching the Oregon
Trail, historically known as the "Gateway to the West." Her passion
for those brave pioneers, Native Americans and 19th Century America led her to
write the epic western historical Wheels of Destiny Trilogy. Cheri is
married and has one grown son. If she’s not riding on the back of her
husband’s Harley, she’s writing the third book in the Wheels of Destiny Trilogy
which includes published Book 1, Trail To Destiny and Award Winning Book 2,
Destiny’s Journey.
"The Old West isn't just a time or place, it's a state of
mind. I get germs of ideas, do a lot of research, then breathe life into
my characters. I like strong heroines, but lovable; and strong heroes, but
vulnerable."
Reviews from Easychair Bookshop judges: "A must read
western romance." "A10/10 read." "Action, adventure,
romance at its very best."
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