The Code of The West

The Law came later - North West Mounted Police. 

"First chronicled by the famous western writer, Zane Grey, in his 1934 novel The Code of the West, no "written" code ever actually existed. However, the hardy pioneers who lived in the west were bound by unwritten rules that centered on hospitality, fair play, loyalty, and respect for the land. Ramon Adams, a Western historian, explained it best in his 1969 book, The Cowman and His Code of Ethics, saying, in part: "Back in the days when the cowman with his herds made a new frontier, there was no law on the range. Lack of written law made it necessary for him to frame some of his own, thus developing a rule of behavior which became known as the "Code of the West." These homespun laws, being merely a gentleman’s agreement to certain rules of conduct for survival, were never written into statutes, but were respected everywhere on the range. Though the cowman might break every law of the territory, state and federal government, he took pride in upholding this unwritten code. His failure to abide by it did not bring formal punishment, but the man who broke it became, more or less, a social outcast. His friends ‘hazed him into the cutbacks’ and he was subject to the punishment of the very code he had broken." Though the Code of the West was always unwritten, here is a "loose" list of what is known of the guidelines:
- Don't inquire into a person's past. Take the measure of a man for what he is today.
- Never bother another man's horse. A horse thief pays with his life.
- Defend yourself when necessary. Look out for your own.
- Remove your guns and hat before sitting at the dining table.
- Don't make idle threats.
- Save your breath for breathing.
- Always tend to your horse's needs before your own.
- Cuss all you want, but not around women.
- Complain about the cooking and you become the cook.
- Do not practice ingratitude.
- Be courageous.
- Always help those in need, even a stranger or an enemy.
- Never touch another man's hat.
- Be modest.
- Be loyal to your "brand," your friends, and those you ride with.
- Give your enemy a chance. The "rattlesnake code": warn before you strike unless stalking an outlaw.
- Never shoot a woman, no matter what.
- Respect the land.
- Your word is your bond, your handshake is a contract.
- Live by the Golden Rule."
(With apologies to Kathy Weiser)