The Code of the West. Although ranchers and cowboys made something of a fetish of individualism, they nevertheless behaved, or pretended to behave, by an unwritten set of rules that came to be known collectively as the code of the West. It was a most peculiar code- in part a canon of ethics, in part a rationalization for rapacity and sometimes an excuse for murder. In its more benign application the code was a sort of frontier version of the Golden Rule. A cattleman fed a visitor because he might himself be far from home next month. He asked no questions of strangers because in leaner days he might himself have preferred not to have his affairs pried into. He returned stray cattle because his own livestock might wander. Nevertheless, the rancher was not bothered by inconsistencies in his use of the code. Protection of property was an integral part of the canon, so he erected fences; meanwhile he cut his neighbor's fences (freedom of the plains was also enshrined in the code). The Sunday- school aspect of this unwritten book of laws disappeared en tirely when the cattleman felt himself threatened. The code gave him the right to set up vigilance committees whose members acted as sheriffs, prosecutors, judges and executioners, dispensing justice on the spot. If no vigilantes were available for the job, he took matters into his own hands; the grim results of one such episode are pictured below. In the final analysis the code was whatever a man said it was - and if some of the noblest deeds of the Old West were performed in its name, it also accounted for some of the most sordid. Since there was little or no law in the Old West, the cowboy made his own rules from the outset. In his unwritten code there were certain principles understood by nearly everyone, and stories of the range are filled with examples of their observance. In Lavaca County, Texas, one February day in 1. Willis Mc. Cutcheon sized up a spunky young lad named West and decided that despite his youth he'd do to drive the Mc. Cutcheon firm's first herd of the year to Ellsworth, Kansas. You'll get half of whatever these cows bring over the price per head after expenses," Mc. Cutcheon promised. The boy said that would do. The drive was halfway to Ellsworth when a five- hour blizzard killed the trail crew's remuda of 7. Having promised to get the cattle through, West traded some cows- and with them part of his profits- for six horses and a mule. A month later he managed to get the cattle to the Kansas market. He sold them off a few at a time during the summer and fall. When West finally returned to Lavaca County in December, Mc. Cutcheon's bookkeeper figured the profits, deducting the value of the lost horses (West made no objection). Are you going to buy a herd of your own, or start a bank?" the bookkeeper joked as he handed over the young man's profit - 7. West smiled and pocketed the coins without a complaint at the outcome of a deal that he had sealed with his word. In 1. 87. 6 cattlemen near Fort Griffin, Texas, formed a vigilance committee to put down an epidemic of horse thieving. Code of the West. Code of the West author John Clarke is available to speak to your organization about the Code of the West. You may contact him directly at. Code of the West may refer to: Code of the West, an unwritten, socially agreed upon set of informal laws shaping the cowboy culture of the Old West. The Code of the West, a 1934 novel by Zane Grey. The third of western hero James Warren's trio of RKO Radio vehicles, Code of the West was like its predecessors based on a story by Zane Grey. Gene Autry's Cowboy Code of Honor. A cowboy never takes unfair advantage -- even of an enemy. A cowboy never betrays a trust. He never goes back on his word. Specializing in Old West Reenactment, Wild West Reenactors, Old West Actors. For more information contact: 9, Moreno Valley, CA. On April 9 the vigilantes, patrolling at night, caught a man in the act and immediately hanged him from the nearest pecan tree. Beneath the dangling body they left a pick and shovel in case someone cared enough to dig a grave. Of such activities a local newspaper commented: "As long as the committee strings up the right parties, it has the well wishes of every lover of tranquillity.". Two cowpunchers out looking for work rode up to a Texas ranch in time for dinner, expecting the customary offer of a free meal. The boss fed them, but afterward demanded 5. Outraged at this violation of Western hospitality, the men roped a three- year- old steer belonging to their host and used a saddle ring to brand on its flanks the message: "Meals- 5. The steer was left to roam the range and proclaim the owner's ignominy. Cowboy Ethics Blog; Standing Tall Blog; Marketplace; Cowboy Ethics; The Try. Book & Film; Speaking; Workshops. Community of the Code; Standing Tall Promo Video. Code of the West Productions. Upcoming Events Gallery Contact Us. Code of the West Production ©. Code of the West follows the political process of marijuana policy reform. A feature-length documentary film by Rebecca Richman Cohen. Glenwood Springs Ford is committed to providing the best experience possible to our customers, that's our Code of the West! The contractual bond of a man's word, the noose for all horse thieves, the obligation of hospitality to a visiting cowboy - these were among the cardinal principles of the code, but there were a great many more. Certainly rules were required, because the conditions of life in the West cried out for some regulation of man's activities. Opportunities for dubious deeds were almost unlimited. On the open range wandering cattle were virtually unprotected from rustlers.
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