List Of Wild West Professions

Basic Information

These are jobs available to the townsfolk and homesteaders in the Old West and The Western.

Note: Most of the links below are currently dead. Links in Red do not have pages yet, and clicking on them will make a new empty page. Links in Blue go to an actual existing page, most of which have useful material for gaming.

Profession	Associated Tropes
Banker	Bank Teller, Crooked Banker
Blacksmith	Village Smithy
Butcher
Card Sharp	The Gambler
Cowherd	Cattle Baron, Cowboy, Determined Homesteader, Rancher
Farmer	Determined Homesteader, Determined Widow, The Pioneer, Rancher
Health Care	The Barber, The Doctor, Medicine Show, Snake Oil Salesman, Undertaker
Hired Gun	Bounty Hunter, The Drifter, The Gunslinger, Pinkertons Agent
Industrialist	City Slicker, Crooked Banker, Railroad Baron, Remittance Man
Judge	Circuit Judge, Hanging Judge
Laundry Service	Chinese Launderer
Law Man, Head	The Sheriff, Town Marshal, Corrupt Sheriff, US Marshal
Law Man, Deputy	The Clueless Deputy, Posse
Mayor (or other town leader)	Cattle Baron, Corrupt Banker, Corrupt Hick, Meek Townsman, Railroad Baron, Wasteland Elder
Menial Labor	Chinese Laborer, Cowboy, Forty Niner, Meek Townsman, Railroad Laborer
Merchant	Clerk, Meek Townsman, Shop Keeper, Medicine Show, Snake Oil Salesman
Messenger	Pony Express Rider, Western Union Man
Military Career	Army Scout, Cavalry Officer
Miner	Forty Niner, Prospector
Outlaw	Bandito, Claim Jumper, The Gunslinger, The Rustler
Prostitute	Dance Hall Girl, Miss Kitty, Soiled Dove, Two Bit Whore, The Vamp
Railroad	Chinese Laborer, Rail Baron, Railroad Brakeman, Railroad Conductor, Railroad Engineer, Railroad Laborer, Railroad Stoker
Religious Leader	Preacher Man, Missionary, Nun
Saloon Worker	The Bartender, Dance Hall Girl, The Gambler, Miss Kitty, The Piano Player, Saloon Owner, Soiled Dove
Self-Sufficient	Determined Homesteader, Determined Homesteaders Wife, Determined Widow, Hunter Trapper, The Mountain Man, The Pioneer
Teacher	Missionary, Schoolmarm
Wagon Wright (or Cart Wright)

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes Wiki entry

This page has significant overlap with the Western Characters page.

Game and Story Use

• The list largely assumes we're talking about small towns whose economy is based primarily on agriculture, a gold rush, or resupplying pioneers who travel through on their way further West. Such adventure towns are the most common locales in The Western.
  • Professions may be somewhat different in a bigger city, including factory worker positions for both men and women, and dock worker positions for men. See also List of All Occupations.
• Smaller communities would often be lacking certain jobs, and have to make do with substitutions. Also, given the fragile nature of most frontier communities, people didn't always have the opportunity to specialize as much as we do now.
  • Those are the reasons for a the "Health Care" entry that lists not only The Doctor but also The Barber — smaller towns would be lucky to have the later, and he'd yank teeth and stitch wounds. See The Barber for more information.
• There's very few jobs for women on that list. Dance Hall Girl, Determined Homesteaders Wife, Nun, Prostitute, and Schoolmarm are the most common.
  • In some circumstances, a woman might be able to be Saloon Owner or Cowgirl, but expect to experience some sexism.
  • Gaming is supposed to be fun, and Player Characters are generally supposed to be exceptional. Don't let the real-life sexism of the era prevent anyone from playing the character they want.
• See also the Western Characters page for additional tropes and roles of the Old West.
  • For professions among the Native Americans see List of Tribal Professions as well as Western Characters.