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Quiz about Everyday Life in the Old West

Everyday Life in the Old West Trivia Quiz

If you lived west of the Mississippi River in the 19th century you'd think this was an easy quiz.

A multiple-choice quiz by kirk645. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
kirk645

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
194,543

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
4 / 10

Plays
2000

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. On what would one have been most likely to have found the letters XXX in the Old West? Hint

A bottle of poison

A hatband

A map

A corral full of diseased cattle

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was the primary use of a pepperbox in the Old West? Hint

A lady's carryall bag

Storage container for spices

Lethal weapon

Trap for small varmints

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Question 3 of 10

3. When traveling about the western states, where you be most likely to meet a Harvey girl? Hint

In a whorehouse

In a restaurant

In a Mennonite comunity

In a ladies dress shop

4. The Butterfield Overland Mail Company carried mail and passengers by stagecoach from St. Louis to San Francisco. The coaches covered 2,800 miles in about 25 days. How much was passenger fare? Hint

$100.00

$400.00

$300.00

$200.00

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Question 5 of 10

5. If you knew how to set chokers and were familiar with a cant hook and a millrace you probably worked as which of these? Hint

Railroad section crewman

Horse trainer or jockey

Logger

Surgeon

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Question 6 of 10

6. When a lady got dressed in the Old West, which garment went on first? Hint

Bodice

Camisole

Corset

Chemise

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Question 7 of 10

7. If you traveled in a relatively straight line from Tombstone, Arizona to Seattle, Washington in 1860, which Indian tribe would you be least likely to encounter? Hint

Chinook

Arikara

Ute

Pima

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Question 8 of 10

8. You are a housewife living in Denver, Colorado in 1870. Which of these appliances are NOT available to you? Hint

Carpet sweeper

Washing machine

Sewing machine

Safety pin

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which of the following songs was NOT sung by 19th century cowpokes? Hint

"Dinah Had a Wooden Leg"

"Ballad of Forty Dollars"

"Billy on the Low Ground"

"The Unfortunate Pup"

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Question 10 of 10

10. Where would you find a reach, a hound, a jockey box, and a bolster? Hint

At the dentist's office

On a wagon

In a sewing kit

Hidden from the sight of children

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On what would one have been most likely to have found the letters XXX in the Old West?

Answer: A hatband

X's indicated the quality of felt hats.

2. What was the primary use of a pepperbox in the Old West?

Answer: Lethal weapon

Pepperboxes were small caliber pistols with multiple revolving barrels.

3. When traveling about the western states, where you be most likely to meet a Harvey girl?

Answer: In a restaurant

In 1883 Fred Harvey established restaurants along the Santa Fe Railroad lines where the rail passengers could get a good meal at a fair price. Harvey set strict rules for his employees' behavior and deportment and the uniformed waitresses, known as "the Harvey Girls", were unmatched in competent and courteous service.

4. The Butterfield Overland Mail Company carried mail and passengers by stagecoach from St. Louis to San Francisco. The coaches covered 2,800 miles in about 25 days. How much was passenger fare?

Answer: $200.00

Mark Twain gives a lively description of such a journey in "Roughing It".

5. If you knew how to set chokers and were familiar with a cant hook and a millrace you probably worked as which of these?

Answer: Logger

Choker setters hooked cables to logs and trees that were then moved by steam powered engines. A cant hook is a sharp curved hook attached to a pole used to roll logs. A millrace is a series of sluice gates used to move logs down a waterway.

6. When a lady got dressed in the Old West, which garment went on first?

Answer: Chemise

The chemise was the under-most garment and was meant to keep perspiration from the corset which went over the chemise. The camisole was donned next to keep the corset clean from outer influences and keep the corset bones from showing through the bodice.

7. If you traveled in a relatively straight line from Tombstone, Arizona to Seattle, Washington in 1860, which Indian tribe would you be least likely to encounter?

Answer: Arikara

Traveling south to north you might come across the Pima in Arizona, the Ute in Colorado, and the Chinook in Washington. The Arikaras or Rees, as they were called, would be well to the east of the straight line route.

8. You are a housewife living in Denver, Colorado in 1870. Which of these appliances are NOT available to you?

Answer: Carpet sweeper

The safety pin was invented in 1849. A successful washing machine was patented in 1846 and sold through the Montgomery Ward catalog. Sewing machines went into mass production in the 1850s when Issac Singer finally built the first commercially successful model. The carpet sweeper came later.

9. Which of the following songs was NOT sung by 19th century cowpokes?

Answer: "Ballad of Forty Dollars"

"Ballad Of Forty Dollars" was written and recorded by country singer Tom T. Hall.

10. Where would you find a reach, a hound, a jockey box, and a bolster?

Answer: On a wagon

These were all parts of a wagon.

Source: Author kirk645

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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