Tour the Wild West in Song Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tombstone

The 1957 movie starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming and John Ireland was directed by John Sturges. It is loosely based on the real incident that took place on October 26 1881. The song "Gunfight at the O. K. Corral" was written by Ned Washington/Dimitri Tiomkin.

The O. K. Corral is in the town of Tombstone, in the southeast of Arizona. Originally named Goose Flats, the name was changed to Tombstone in about 1877. A prospector named Ed Schieffelin named his silver mine "The Tombstone". This was after being warned by soldiers in the area that if he kept looking for silver in the hills, all he'd find would be his tombstone. This was due to hostilities with the Native American tribes who lived in the area.

In its heyday at the height of the silver boom in the 1880s, Tombstone had a population of around 14,000 and was considered to be one of the most notorious and lawless cities in the Americas. By 1890 after the silver mines went bust, the population dwindled to 1,875. In the census of 2020 there were 1,308 residents and the biggest commercial business is tourism.

Answer: Hadleyville

The town of Hadleyville in the 1952 movie "High Noon" was a fictitious town in New Mexico although, there is a real Hadleyville in the state of Oregon. The movie is based on a screenplay by Carl Foreman and directed by Fred Zinneman. The song "High Noon" was written by Ned Washington/Dimitri Tiomkin.

The marshal of Hadleyville, played by Gary Cooper, is about to move on with his new wife, played by Grace Kelly. He learns that a criminal he put in jail is out and coming for revenge with his gang. The marshal has to decide if he will stick to his plans to go, leaving the towns people to the mercies of the gang or stay and confront them.

"High Noon" was nominated for seven Academy Awards and received four, best actor, film editing, original film and best score of a dramatic or comedy picture.

Answer: Kansas

The song "Abilene" was written by John D. Loudermilk/Bob Gibson/Albert Stanton/Lester Brown. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Country Chart for George Hamilton IV in 1963.

Although "Abilene" was not a movie, the idea for the song came after songwriter Bob Gibson had watched the movie "Abilene Town" starring Randolph Scott. The movie was set after the end of the Civil War, in the cattle town of Abilene, Kansas. Originally named Mud Creek, Abiline began as a stop on the stage coach route in 1857 and received its name in 1860 from Abilene in the Bible, meaning grassy plains.

With the coming of the railroad in 1867 it became a major stopping point for cattle being shipped to the slaughter houses in Chicago. Two notable residents were Wild Bill Hickok who was marshal from April 1871 to December 1871 and the future US president Dwight D. Eisenhower whose family moved there in 1892. He attended public school there until his high school graduation in 1902. Abilene is home to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.

Answer: El Paso

"El Paso" was written by Marty Robbins. It was number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 for Marty Robbins in 1960. It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart the same year. It was number one for one week on the Billboard Country Chart in 1959.

El Paso is located in the far south west of Texas and borders the state of New Mexico and the country of Mexico. It has belonged to Mexico and The Republic of Texas and eventually became part of the USA. It's situated in the Chihuahuan Desert region.

El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas, with a population of over 678,000, and the second largest city in the US with a majority Hispanic population. Spanish explorers first came to the area in 1581 but the area had been steadily inhabited for 10-12,000 years.

Major revenue is derived from oil and gas fields, government and civil service offices and the US military. The Beaumont Army Medical Center, Biggs Army Airfield and Fort Bliss are all in the area.

Answer: Laramie

The song "The Man From Laramie" was written by Ned Washington/Lester Lee. It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart for Al Martino in 1955 but failed to chart in the USA. It was number one for four weeks on the UK Singles Chart for Jimmy Young in 1955 but failed to chart in the USA.

Laramie is the third largest city in Wyoming with a population of approximately 33,000. It was originally settled in the mid 1860s, just north of Fort Sanders along the Overland Stage Line and the proposed route of the Union Pacific Railroad. It was named for one of the first Europeans to visit the area, Jacques LaRamie, a French Canadian trapper. Wyoming was organized as a territory in 1869 and was the first legislature to grant equal rights to women. This led to Laramie being the first town to hold a municipal election during which Louisa Swain voted, becoming the first woman in America to cast a legal vote in a general election. Five women from Laramie also became the first women to serve on a jury.

Answer: South Dakota

The song "The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away!)" was written by Sammy Fain/Paul Francis. It is from the 1953 movie "Calamity Jane" starring Doris Day and Howard Keel.

Deadwood, now in South Dakota, began as an illegal settlement, on land belonging to the Lakota Tribe in 1870, then in Dakota territory. There was no official law since it was an illegal town and became known for its violence and lawlessness. In 1876 Wild Bill Hickok was shot to death while playing poker and is buried in the town cemetery.

In 1874 gold was discovered and by 1876 the population had grown to over 25,000. A fire in 1879 destroyed over 300 buildings and many of the displaced residents moved away. That, combined with a declining gold panning industry, caused the population to steadily decline and as of the 2021 census it was only 1,270.

The whole town was designated as a National Historical Land District due to the preservation of the old buildings. Today the major sources of revenue are tourism, summer and winter sports in the surrounding area, and casinos, which number more than 20.

Answer: Missouri

The cattle drives in "Rawhide" are always headed for the city of Sedalia, Missouri, which was a railhead for cattle drives from the southwest heading to the stockyards in Chicago. It took until episode 67 for the first cattle drive to actually reach Sedalia.

Sedalia, Missouri was established in 1857, as Sedville by General George R. Smith. The name was changed to Sedalia in 1860. The location was chosen in anticipation of the proposed transcontinental railroad coming through the area which it finally did in January of 1861.

Sedalia became a major center for the massive cattle drives from the southwest heading to the meat processing factories in Chicago. Today Sedalia is home to both the annual Missouri State Fair and the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival.

Answer: Yuma

Yet again Frankie Laine can be heard singing the theme tune in the 1957 movie "3:10 To Yuma", starring Glenn Ford and Van Hefflin. The movie is based on a short story by Elmore Leonard from 1953. It is about a rancher Dan Evans (Van Hefflin), struggling to make a living during a drought. He is offered $200 to escort the outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford), from Bisbee to Contention City to catch a train, the 3:10 to Yuma. During this he has to avoid being killed by Ben Wade and the rest of Ben Wade's gang.

Yuma Arizona was inhabited for years by members of the Cocopah and Quechuan Native American tribes. The first European contact came when the Spanish explored the area in 1540. Americans began exploring the area in the 1800s. It was a good crossing area for the Colorado River and Yuma became a favored crossing for those wanting to reach California.

The population is approximately 96,000 year round residents and another 80-90,000 in the winter. Major economics are agriculture, the US military and tourism. According to the Guinness Book of Records Yuma has the most sunshine in the world.

Answer: Nevada

"Bonanza" ran for 432 episodes from 1959 to 1973. It starred Lorne Green (Ben Cartwright), Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright), Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright) and Michael Landon (Joe Cartwright). It was set on a ranch known as the Ponderosa in the 1860s between Lake Tahoe and Virginia City, Nevada. The theme tune was written by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, orchestrated by David Rose and arranged by Billy May.

Virginia City Nevada was incorporated in 1859. It became a thriving town after the discovery of the Comstock Lode silver mine. By the 1870s the population was about 25,000 but when the silver ran out the population dropped and is about 787 as of the 2020 census. The economy is based on tourism with much of the town restored to show life in its heyday. Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, worked as a reporter there for the Territorial Enterprise for about 1 1/2 years. It's said that he left the area to avoid a duel with an editor, upset with one of his reports.

Answer: San Francisco

Although not used on the TV shown "The Ballad Of Paladin" written by Western/Boone/Rolfe was a number 33 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Duane Eddy in 1962. It peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart the same year.

"Have Gun - Will Travel" starred Richard Boone and ran for 225 episodes from 1957 to 1963. The series follows the adventures of a man called Paladin; he is a gentleman investigator/gunfighter who travels around the old west working for people who hire him to solve their problems.

He is based in San Francisco some time after the Civil War; he resides at the Hotel Carlton, where he lives the life of a successful businessman and bon vivant. He wears custom-made suits, drinks fine wine, plays the piano and attends the opera and other cultural events. If that is not enough, he is also an expert chess player, poker player and swordsman.

San Francisco was a small fishing community of Native Americans until the advent of the California gold rush in 1848. With an influx of about 25,000 new people it became an over crowded, crime ridden city. After the American Civil War, with the help of newly constructed trans American railroads, San Francisco continued to grow and greatly expanded its economic base to include shipping, ship building, lumber industries and agriculture. There was a great expansion of cultural and academic opportunities including the establishment of California's first medical school, Keck School Of Medicine in 1885.