Although the days of cowboys and duels outside of the saloon are long gone, the USA still retains glimpses of its Wild West history.
From Billy the Kid's mountain hideout, to the ghost towns of Colorado, here are 10 of the best places to visit if you want to recapture the magic of the America that once was.
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1. Golden, Colorado
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Robbing the Deadwood Stage was a highlight of 'Buffalo Bill' Cody's Wild West Show. His grave overlooks Denver; the small museum tells his story. Photo: Alamy
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2. The Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks, New Mexico
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This spectacular landscape provided hide-outs for Billy the Kid (he carved his name on 'Outlaw Rock') and Apache chief Geronimo ('Geronimo’s Cave'). Near Las Cruces. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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3. Tombstone, Arizona
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The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a real event. The three men gunned down in 1881 are buried in Boothill Graveyard. Tombstone retains a 19th Century charm. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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4. El Paso, Texas
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Bob Dylan’s song John Wesley Harding claims that the notorious gunslinger “was never known to hurt an honest man". But he had enemies. Shot dead in the Acme Saloon, he is buried in El Paso’s Concordia Cemetery. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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5. Moab, Utah
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After director John Ford’s 1949 film Wagon Master, film makers flocked to this region. Ridley Scott shot many Thelma and Louise scenes here, including that final drive off the cliff. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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6. Little Bighorn Battlefield, Montana
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On the Crow Indian Reservation, the century-old Crow Fair (August 14-18) is North America’s largest Native American gathering. It is 100 kilometres from Billings. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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7. Pine Ridge, South Dakota
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After the 1890 Massacre of Wounded Knee, 300 Sioux were buried in a lonesome mound on the prairie. The final battlefield of the American Indian Wars is on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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8. St Elmo & Tin Cup, Colorado
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These former mining communities are now spooky ghost towns. Reach Tin Cup by renting an ATV at St Elmo General Store. It is three hours from Denver. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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9. Sundance, Wyoming
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Learn about the Sundance Kid in the Crook County Museum. Butch Cassidy’s sidekick was jailed here for 18 months in 1887. Photo: Alamy
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10. Devils Tower, Wyoming
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The real star of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was this solitary rock jutting up from the prairie. It is 45 kilometres from Sundance. Photo: AP/Fotolia
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Visit your local Flight Centre or call 131 600 for more advice and the latest travel deals.
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This article was from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
