Historic Replicas

The 19th century was a time of near-anarchy on the American Western frontier, often lawless and dangerous.  Local sheriffs were adept at the use of Wild West pistols, and did their best to track down offenders and maintain order, but the odds were stacked against them.  They couldn’t pursue offenders across state lines, and communication with other lawmen could take weeks.  Even short trips away from their communities meant leaving them largely defenseless, and could result in chaos.  The government granted special rights to an enterprising group of citizens:  the bounty hunters.  The Supreme Court made them a part of the legal system in 1872, and gave them unprecedented leeway in capturing criminals.  They could track them in different states, break into their houses without due process, and they could do so on Sunday, the Sabbath, which, amazing as it may seem, regular law enforcement officials could not. The rise of the bounty hunters prompted the ever-popular “Wanted:  Dead or Alive” poster that lives on in Wild West replicas.  It was a dangerous profession, to be sure, but with cunning and skill, the bounty hunters were in a position to make enormous profits.