Cowboy Kisses: U.S. Marshals of the Wild, Wild West

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

U.S. Marshals of the Wild, Wild West

Breaking the law with the

I've always had a thing for a man in uniform, especially policemen so I thought it might be interesting to research U.S. Marshals of the West, specifically the 1800's. It actually looks like lawmen date back to the late 1700's.

When I think of U.S. Marshals, I automatically picture weathered cowboys riding the range or chasing outlaws in a gunfight and in reality they really did do those things. I think I was born in the wrong era lol. I do know it was a rough life, however they really didn't know any different. Oh to learn the ways of the old west.

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Let's start with a brief timeline:

1789: Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency On September 24, President George Washington appointed the first 13 U.S. Marshals following the passage of the first Judiciary Act.

Until the creation of the Secret Service in 1865, Marshals were frequently called upon to pursue counterfeiters.

1865 - 1900: U.S. Marshals were instrumental in keeping law and order in the "Old West" era and involved in apprehending desperadoes such as the Dalton Gang, Bill Doolin, and Ned Christie.

October 26 - Tombstone, Arizona Territory - Marshal Virgil Earp and his deputies, brothers Wyatt and Morgan Earp, and Doctor John H. Holliday, gunned down Frank and Tom McLaury, and Billy Clanton in a vacant lot just down the street from the O.K. Corral.1881

1896 : July 1 - The fee system of paying Marshals was abolished. The Marshals were put on annual salary.

1917: Marshals and World War I: While American troops fought in the trenches of Europe, United States Marshals protected the home front against enemy aliens, spies, and saboteurs.

*There's alot more but i only wanted to focus on the 1800's primarily.

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