Tombstone, Arizona: "The Town Too Tough to Die," a silver-mining boomtown made internationally famous by the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Dodge City, Kansas: The "Wickedest Little City in America," a notorious, wide-open cattle town famously policed by Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.

Deadwood, South Dakota: An illegal gold mining camp in the Black Hills known for rampant lawlessness and the assassination of Wild Bill Hickok.

Abilene, Kansas: The first great cow town at the end of the Chisholm Trail, where exhausted cowboys spent their wages on gambling, drinking, and vice.

Virginia City, Nevada: A fabulously wealthy, surprisingly sophisticated metropolis built directly atop the massive silver deposits of the Comstock Lode.

Fort Worth, Texas: "Where the West Begins," serving as a critical supply stop for drovers pushing cattle north to the Kansas railheads.

False fronts and boom town construction: Tall, ornate wooden facades attached to simple, single-story buildings to give a settlement an illusion of prosperity and permanence.

Boardwalks and muddy streets: Raised wooden sidewalks built out of necessity to keep pedestrians out of the knee-deep mud and horse manure that plagued unpaved streets.

Jails, courthouses, and hanging trees: The physical representations of law and order, ranging from hastily constructed iron cages to imposing stone structures.

Hotels and boarding houses: The first permanent structures built for travelers, ranging from luxurious, multi-story brick buildings to cramped, lice-infested bunk rooms.

The role of the saloon: Far more than just a bar, saloons served as political headquarters, job centers, makeshift hospitals, and courthouses in early boomtowns.

Frontier whiskey: Often brutally harsh spirits (nicknamed "tarantula juice" or "coffin varnish") cut with chewing tobacco, ammonia, or burnt sugar for color and kick.

Card games: Faro was the most popular and ubiquitous game of the era, far outpacing Poker or Three-Card Monte in western gambling halls.

Saloon girls and hurdy-gurdy dancers: Women employed to dance, serve drinks, and separate miners and cowboys from their money in a largely male-dominated society.

The free lunch: A common marketing tactic where saloons offered heavily salted meats and cheeses for free, ensuring patrons bought more beer to quench their thirst.

General stores and mercantiles: The vital supply lifelines that sold everything from flour, coffee, and bacon to dynamite, fabric, and repeating rifles.

Livery stables and blacksmiths: The frontier equivalent of the modern gas station and mechanic, essential for horse care, wagon repair, and transportation.

Barber shops and bath houses: Where trail-weary cowboys and miners paid a premium to soak off weeks of dust, get a hot shave, and even receive minor dental or medical care.

Assay offices and banks: Critical institutions in mining towns where prospectors brought raw ore to be tested, weighed, and exchanged for coin or paper money.