westward expansion (1830s-1870s) fictitional character help needed!!!!!!?

Question

For an essay, I need to pick a fictitional character to base my book around. All I need right now is an OCCUPATION to start from. It must be a job that would be true to the 1830s-1870s in the west, such as Nebraska or Utah.

I don't want to be something simple, boring, and ordinary, like a farmer, teacher, railroad builder, trail guide, miner, etc. I want to have a character with a job of the time but something that is interesting, unique, and that nobody in my class will do. For example, some poeple chose a dentist, a porter, and a boarding house owner.

Please offer any suggestions as to what the occupation should be. 10 Points to the one I use!

we have to turn in a "character card" tomorrow with name, gender, age, where he/she lives, and occupation

Answer 1

Just mention the Character to be XYZ and you could add feathers to his character whatever you want from your imagination and it would be really authentic and would be appreciated by one and all, to be sure!!!

Answer 2

The blacksmith, wheelwright, farrier, harness maker, and saddler, photographer, Apothecary, Saloon Girl (no joke not a hooker),


#1
http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/Gazettes/photowest.html
Photographer

#2
The blacksmith, wheelwright, farrier, harness maker, and saddler were the principle trades that were necessary to maintain the wagons and animals that were used in overland transportation. In the larger cities, each tradesman normally had his own shop or business, but on the frontier one man was often skilled in many trades (i.e. blacksmith, farrier, and wheelwright). The blacksmith produced tools, nails, hinges, and other necessary items from iron and steel. A farrier was a blacksmith who specialized in shoeing horses, oxen and mules. The wheelwright was a specialist who made wagon wheels of all sizes and could often make an entire wagon. The harness maker and saddler were tradesmen who produced different types of leather saddles, bridles, halters, and harness that were necessary for the proper efficient use of the appropriate animals.

#3
Apothecary was more than simply a druggist. An apothecary often:
Provided medical treatment
Prescribed medicine
Trained apprentices
Performed surgery

#4 Saloon Girl
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-PaintedLady.html

Note saloon girls and dance hall girls were not hookers!
A common misconception, read the article, they made decent money as well.

Answer 3

How about a Wagon Master, the boss of the wagon trains that brought settlers and their belongings West, thru all kinds of weather, Indian attacks and bandits.(and a lot of them made friends with the Indians, and even married them)

Answer 4

A rich Easterner = heading west to kill buffalo from the train window

An American artist = heading west to paint the scenery (many did just that!)

mid-wife = plenty of harrowing stories. many women lost their lives in child birth

chuck wagon - tales from the trails

Native American - many sad stories to tell here

A vigilante = your posse lynches men for justice to be done!

Answer 5

folks used to hire out to dig out-house holes for a living back in them days..guess it was one of those chores that had to be done every couple years. You had to live in a community tho...

folks hauled wagon loads of logs into towns and sold them ..hauled logs to settlers too..wood was something that got scarce quick when weather rolled in...

a fella with a flock of turkeys was pretty popular during the summer months,..he heard ed his birds into gardens to clean out the insects...

a 'wheelwright' was always in demand too...wagons were the 'essential'..if freight or moving things around was happening...

folks were pretty independent individually back then..but like us, there were things it was just practical to hire out..

good luck on your essay, keep in mind that in that time period there were still emigrants, wandering Indians, wolves, grizz, Buffalo, mobile pharmacy's, carpet-baggers, railroad entrepreneurs, Calvary posts, and pony express...

one of my ancestors had a still,..sold something intoxicating, but not very healthy [i'm sure]...the rest of them were outlaws.

:)