Let's say you were in Wyoming in the Old West and you walked into a saloon.

Sure people are drinking. Though they are not drinking what you see in Old West movies. Let's have a look at that later in this story.

Are you hungry?

Most saloons did serve food.

Many times it was free, to entice people in. Right in the middle of a dirty table with a dirty tablecloth might be a pot of baked beans. Go on, scoop up a bowl. A glass of water with used forks in it was there for you. (GROSS).

Wild West saloons served a variety of hearty meals, including beans, beef, and game.

A staple food in the Wild West is often served with salt pork.

Similar to the beans served on chuck wagons during cattle drives.

Fresh beef steaks were sold in saloons and restaurants.

Cow towns were known for their beef, obviously.

Freshly caught game, such as deer or buffalo, was served.

Salt pork, Hardtack, Potatoes, Eggs, Dried fruits, Sourdough biscuits, Bacon, Flapjacks, Whole roasted or fried chicken, and Leg of lamb.

As for what people drank, you can forget what you saw in those Old West movies.

In those movies, you'll see a cowboy step up to the bar and say

"WHISKY!"

Whisky and beer were a rare thing. It was a lot of work to bring it out to towns in the middle of nowhere and just as hard to make locally.

So they made do by making liquor out of whatever they could find.

If you're thinking that might not be tasty, or safe, you would be correct.

As the video below shows - EVERYTHING IN THE WEST IS TRYING TO KILL YOU!

Drinks at the time were more like a wine cooler than the hard stuff we had today.

That's not to say that the old west never had beer or whisky, it was just expensive and hard to come by.

Painful To Watch, Chugwater Rodeo Rider Caught Under Hoof

Harding ridding at the 2021 Chugwater Chili Cookoff in Chugwater Wyoming

Wyoming's High Jumping Rodeo Horses

Horses have different ideas on how to get a cowboy off their back.

The most common way they try is actually the least effective way.

But it is so much fun to watch.

Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods

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