I thought about popping this in the 'research' section but after reading a few of the posts in this bit, this seems like the best place for it...I'm working on an idea for a Western, but had a few (possibly obvious) questions.
1) Did towns with names like 'Desperation' and 'Hell's Creek', etc, really exist, or is that something perpetrated (I can't think of the correct word/spelling) by movies?
2) What years were the 'golden age' of the Wild West?
3) I've read on here about the language used by cowboys - would excessive swearing (really foul language, by one character only) be realistic, or too over the top/modern? And were the 's' word and 'f' word common enough to use often (in the context of this sweary character)?
4) Was racism a concept some cowboys would have understood, even if they didn't call it 'racism'?
There's nothing worse than reading a book by someone who's impressed modern sensibilites upon an older time, and that's a trap I *hope* I can avoid...
edit: was 'goon' a word used by cowboys? I don't want to refer to a hired henchman as that if it's not 'true'...
1) Did towns with names like 'Desperation' and 'Hell's Creek', etc, really exist, or is that something perpetrated (I can't think of the correct word/spelling) by movies?
2) What years were the 'golden age' of the Wild West?
3) I've read on here about the language used by cowboys - would excessive swearing (really foul language, by one character only) be realistic, or too over the top/modern? And were the 's' word and 'f' word common enough to use often (in the context of this sweary character)?
4) Was racism a concept some cowboys would have understood, even if they didn't call it 'racism'?
There's nothing worse than reading a book by someone who's impressed modern sensibilites upon an older time, and that's a trap I *hope* I can avoid...
edit: was 'goon' a word used by cowboys? I don't want to refer to a hired henchman as that if it's not 'true'...
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