In the 1800s in the Old West, a schoolmarm was a female teacher hired to educate children of all ages. The students were usually taught together inside a rural, one-room schoolhouse. Beyond teaching basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, the schoolmarm was expected to be a strict moral role model for the frontier community, often adhering to rigid personal conduct rules such as remaining unmarried.
2. Blacksmith
Answer: Occupations
In the Old West, a blacksmith was a craftsman who forged, shaped, and repaired vital metal items like horseshoes, wagon tires, farming tools, and household hardware. He used a coal forge and anvil. Working at the heart of frontier towns, the blacksmith served as the primary mechanic and metalworker, keeping transportation, agriculture, and daily life running smoothly.
3. Bullwhacker
Answer: Occupations
A bullwhacker was a tough teamster who drove large teams of oxen hauling heavy freight wagons across rough frontier trails. Walking alongside the animals rather than riding, they used long leather bullwhips to produce loud, cracking snaps near the oxen's ears to guide and urge the slow-moving teams forward without actually striking them.
4. Hostler
Answer: Occupations
A hostler was a stablehand responsible for the care, feeding, and grooming of horses at livery stables, hotels, and stagecoach waystations. They played a critical role in overland transport by quickly unhitching exhausted horse teams from arriving stagecoaches, inspecting them for injuries, and harnessing fresh, rested animals so passengers and mail could continue without delay.
5. Spittoon
Answer: In A Saloon
A spittoon was a heavy metal or ceramic pot placed on the floor to collect excess liquid, tobacco juice, and cigar ash. Designed to keep the wooden floors of a saloon relatively clean, it was a common fixture near the bar, gaming tables, and seating areas in an era when chewing tobacco was extremely popular among patrons.
6. Faro layout
Answer: In A Saloon
A faro layout was a green felt cloth painted with a complete suit of thirteen spades, from ace to king, arranged in two neat rows for players to place their wagers. This layout was the centerpiece of faro, one of the era's most popular saloon card games prized for its fast pace, simple rules, and low house edge. Competing directly against the dealer rather than each other, players used the layout to bet on which card ranks would be drawn next from a brass dealing box.
7. Keno goose
Answer: In A Saloon
In a saloon, a keno goose was a spout-necked container, often carved from wood or cast in brass, used to randomly select winning numbers for keno games. The operator filled the goose with numbered wooden balls or ivory buttons, rotated or shook the device, and allowed one ball at a time to drop down its narrow chute.
This mechanical device ensured a fair, tamper-proof draw, giving patrons confidence in the outcome of their bets.
8. Player piano
Answer: In A Saloon
A player piano was a self-playing mechanical piano that produced music using perforated paper rolls and pneumatic suction driven by foot pedals or a coin mechanism. It allowed saloon owners to provide continuous, lively background music for patrons without having to hire a full-time musician.
As a novelty of late-19th-century engineering, its energetic tunes helped draw in crowds and keep the drinking and gambling atmosphere lively around the clock.
9. Assay scale
Answer: Goldmining
An assay scale was a precision balance scale used to weigh gold dust, nuggets, and ore samples down to tiny fractions of a grain. Housed inside a glass case to prevent air currents from disrupting measurements, it determined the exact purity and monetary value of a miner's haul before it could be traded, sold, or cashed in. Because raw gold served as local currency, the accuracy of the assay scale protected both prospectors and merchants from overpaying or being cheated.
10. Arrastra
Answer: Goldmining
An arrastra was a stone drag mill (powered by horses or mules) used to grind gold-bearing quartz rock into fine sand. It consisted of a circular stone patio with a central post, where heavy boulders were attached to revolving wooden arms and dragged continuously over crushed ore to pulverize it. Once pulverized, miners mixed in water and mercury to bind with the freed gold particles, making it an affordable way for independent prospectors to extract precious metals without expensive machinery.
11. Sluice box
Answer: Goldmining
A sluice box was a long, open-topped wooden trough fitted with wooden slats called riffles along its bottom. Prospectors angled the trough in a flowing stream and shoveled gold-bearing gravel into the top, using the rushing water to wash lighter sand and dirt away down the channel. Because gold is significantly heavier than surrounding rocks, the gold flakes and nuggets sank and got caught behind the riffles for easy collection.
12. Pickaxe
Answer: Goldmining
In Old West gold mining, a pickaxe was an essential hand tool featuring a heavy steel head mounted on a sturdy wooden handle, with a pointed pick on one side and a chisel blade on the other. Prospectors used it to fracture hard rock, pry open mineral-bearing veins, and break up dense, compacted soil in riverbeds or tunnels.
Its durable design allowed miners to chip away at rock faces where gold was trapped.
13. Lasso
Answer: Cowboy Equipment
A lasso, also known as a lariat or reata, was a long rope made of braided rawhide or stiff hemp featuring an adjustable running noose called a hondo at one end. Cowboys used it while on horseback to catch, restrain, and maneuver stubborn cattle and horses during roundups, branding, and doctoring livestock. Mastered through constant practice, it was an important tool of the trade that allowed a single rider to control large animals across the open range.
14. Chaps
Answer: Cowboy Equipment
Chaps were sturdy, seatless leather leg coverings worn over denim trousers and buckled at the waist. Designed to protect a rider's legs from thorny brush, cacti, rope burns, and harsh weather, they provided an essential layer of armor on long trail drives and through dense terrain. Additionally, the extra grip from the heavy leather helped cowboys maintain a firm seat in the saddle when riding wild or unpredictable horses.
15. Mecate
Answer: Cowboy Equipment
A mecate was a continuous rein rope, traditionally crafted from twisted horsehair or mane hair, often tied to a bit. Measuring roughly 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.5 m) long, it formed a looped rein for riding while leaving a generous extra length that served as a built-in lead rope coiled or tucked at the saddle horn.
This allowed a cowboy to easily dismount and lead or tie their horse without carrying a separate lead line or disconnecting the reins.
16. Tapaderos
Answer: Cowboy Equipment
Tapaderos, often called "taps", were heavy leather hoods or covers fitted over the front of stirrups. Designed to shield a rider's boots from brush, thorns, and cold weather, they also prevented branches from getting caught in the stirrups when riding through thick terrain. Crucially, they acted as a safety feature by keeping the cowboy's boots from slipping too far forward through the stirrups and hanging up if thrown from the horse.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Fifiona81 before going online.
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