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..., others from the Midwest, and the rest came from states in the South. They came to work on ranches and drive cattle on the trail. "Many were ex-rebel soldiers who maintained that attitude on the trail. There was also a flood of renegades from both north and south that went to Texas. This is how Texas got a reputation for lawlessness and violence" (The Cowboys). Being a cowboy, for some, had a special status. Cowboys in the Western Plains called themselves cow punchers and thought of themselves as more important than others. "The man himself, the clothes he wore, and the horse he rode were all outgrowths of life on the range. The long days in the open, and riding alone with the cattle gave him self-reliance. The danger of stampeding cattle, of undependable horses, of hostile Indians and of bitter winter blizzards demanded endurance and courage. The whole job of driving, roping, and handling cattle required expert horsemanship" ("Cowboys"). Cowboys worked very hard and also fought hard, but never with their fists. In a fight, a cowboy would always use his gun (The Cowboys). The reason cowboys used their guns was because of the fact of the West being lawless. There were two reasons for the west being lawless, one is the social conditions there during that period and the second because the law there didn’t apply well to the conditions and wasn’t obeyed. It was also do to the vast distances between populated areas, which made it easy for a cowboy to move to another area and get caught for something he did. Sometimes one had to take the law into their own hands, that’s why cowboy needed to be physically strong, able to use a gun and brave (Frantz and Choate 84). The attire a cowboy chose was very important to his job. Most things he wore had a definite purpose and sui...