One very good example of the Spanish Colonial era was the Old Mission Church, located in New Mexico. This church was established back in 1630, and the mission itself was relatively small but unique.
Curious to go on and visit this place? You still can! It’s one of the long-standing pieces of history in that area. It also played a big role in the Pueblo Revolt. Until Mexico gained independence from Spain, this old church was inhabited by Franciscans for some time. Now, it is a tourist attraction in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, and a lot of people come from all over the world to visit it! Amazing!
Aboriginal Life Among the Navajo Indians Near Old Fort Defiance, New Mexico
This photograph that was taken by Timothy O’Sullivan entitled, “Aboriginal Life Among the Navajo Indians Near Old Fort Defiance, New Mexico,” was printed in 1873. As you can see, the photo shows the Navajos at their home and abandoned the military post back in the Old Wild West.
These Indians were known for being very fierce but intelligent and are one of the most wealthy aboriginal tribes in the United States. If you noticed, you can see the ears of corn that they have cultivated and the looms, which were used to make blankets. Very crafty, indeed!
Doc Holliday
Another incredibly well-known gunfighter during the wild west was all-around man Doc Holliday. He was a good friend of Wyatt Earp. one occupation you would have never guessed; he was also a dentist and a gambler. A little hard to believe for a man like him, huh?
At 20 years old, Holliday became a dentist, but later on, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and became a gambler in Arizona. After earning his reputation as a deadly gunman, he knew he couldn’t stay away from the gun, so he stayed that way through the remainder of his years.
Sioux Indian Teepees
One of the largest tribes to have lived in the Great Plains was the Sioux Indian Teepees. As we may have known, real Indians really make use of teepees. They aren’t just shown in movies and books. Interestingly enough, there were actually 3 different tribes under one nation, which were: Western Dakota, Eastern Dakota, and the Lakota Tribes.
All of them were nomadic tribes, that hunted bison. As you can see in the photo, they built teepees, which was a high point of their lives living on the great plains. Although we are not very sure where this photo was taken exactly, it is probably safe to guess that it was somewhere in the Dakota Territory. Wherever they ended up, what they did was pretty awesome!
Timothy O’ Sullivan
Ah, the famous photographer of the Native Americans, Timothy O’Sullivan. Finally, we will be talking about the guy that single-handedly took all of those gorgeous photos back in the Wild West. This awesome photographer was born on Staten Island, New York. He became one of the most influential photographers in the Civil War.
O’Sullivan joined the geological survey team back in 1871, which gave him the opportunity to travel around the United States to take picturesque photographs, which he is known for, especially in the pueblos of the Canyon de Chelly. Back then, there was nobody as talented as him when it came to photography. His photographs are exactly what you would expect the old west to look like, and they were super accurate.