The Wild Wild West Quiz

By: Alia Hoyt
Estimated Completion Time
1 min
The Wild Wild West Quiz
Image: Wild Bill Hickock (R) kills a saloon owner. American Stock/Getty Images

About This Quiz

The Wild West is the stuff of legends, lore and awesome John Wayne movies. How much do you know about the days of saloons and standoffs?
This legendary gunslinger at the O.K. Corral actually wasn't that quick on the draw:
Wild Bill Hickok
Billy the Kid
Wyatt Earp
Although he's known as the fastest draw in the West, Earp actually only drew his gun at average speed. But he was cool under pressure and deadly accurate, which is why he outlived everyone from the famous gunfight by a long shot.

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Where did the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral actually take place?
a vacant lot
The famous gunfight actually took place in a vacant lot next to a boarding house and a photo studio, and not in a corral as Hollywood would have you believe.
on Main Street in the city of Tombstone
in a corral, duh!

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What was Doc Holliday's career before he became a rambling, gambling gunslinger?
dentist
Holliday attended the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery and practiced dentistry for a time. Then he realized he could make more money gambling, so he hung up his dental tools and took to that, instead.
doctor
rancher

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How did Calamity Jane die?
She was killed in a gunfight at Deadwood.
She fell off a horse.
She died as a result of alcoholism.
The foul-mouthed, hard-drinking Calamity Jane's habits caught up with her, as she died in 1903 at only 47. Her swashbuckling exploits helped her achieve some significant fame at the time, but she was also a generous, caring soul who took care of sick and injured people.

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What was the reason for the Springfield Shootout between Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt?
Tutt was defending his wife's honor.
Hickok owed gambling debts to Tutt.
Tutt had won Hickok's watch and was brandishing it around town.
Tutt either stole or won Wild Bill's gold watch, and Hickok warned him about about wearing it around town. They ended up in a duel like so many portrayed in Western films, but while Tutt missed, Hickok hit him straight in the heart.

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How much would a night at Pearl de Vere's luxurious brothel in Cripple Creek, Colorado, set you back in 1896?
$20
$100
$250
During a time when the average hotel ran about $3 per night, the $250 price tag at The Old Homestead was truly steep. The rooms were lavishly decorated and of course, patrons were getting some perks the standard boarding house couldn't match, but still…

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What happened to Annie Oakley's fortune?
She piddled it away on booze and gambling.
She gave it away to charity.
Known as an expert markswoman, Oakley became famous during her stint on Buffalo Bill's traveling show. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany even let her shoot the ash off of the end of his cigarette! Before she died she gave all of her money to charities serving women and children.
Buffalo Bill sued her for contract violation, and won.

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Why did Sheriff Pat Garrett claim that Billy the Kid was really 21?
He wanted to try him as an adult.
He was criticized for hunting down a teenager.
Billy was probably only about 19 when he was killed by Sheriff Garrett, which some people had a problem with, since the lawman tracked him down outside his jurisdiction. So when Garrett documented the shooting on his end, he listed Billy as 21.
He wanted to be his drinking buddy.

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How did Jesse James die at age 34?
He was killed in a hail of police gunfire.
He was shot while dusting a picture on a wall.
For all his perilous pursuits, James died when a new recruit to his gang shot him in the back of the head while he was dusting a picture on the wall. Bob Ford made a deal with the Governor of Missouri to do so, and received a reward and a pardon for his efforts.
He was shot during a bank robbery gone wrong.

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What name do you know Robert LeRoy Parker better by?
Butch Cassidy
His mentor as a teen was a cowhand and cattle rustler named Mike Cassidy. Eventually, he started using his surname. Later when he worked as a butcher people referred to him as "Butcher Cassidy."
The Sundance Kid
John Wayne

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You Got:
/10
Wild Bill Hickock (R) kills a saloon owner. American Stock/Getty Images