Yeah, there's a lot of romanticized myth associated with cowboys. And hollyweird doesn't help!
Check out these movies for a much more ... realistic ... portrail of the Old West.
Unforgiven - with Clint Eastwood
Open Range - with Duval - and Costner is starting to learn to act
Conagher - a Louis L'Amour novel - with Sam Elliott
Tom Horn - with Steve McQueen
and a great old west mining/gambling town movie
McCabe and Mrs. Miller with Ryan O'Neil
The Lonesome Dove TV mini-series had good intentions and started well, but hollyweird quickly took over to pander to that romanticized view of cowboys. Much better was/is the hbo series Deadwood. But it ... shocked ... lots of people. Well, real life back then even shocked lost of people back East in the big cities also.
Yeah, the 1870's and 1880's is another time period I "live" in with my living history reenactment hobby.
Here's a couple pics of me and "the boys".
Our little ... bar-b-q for some Texicans ... that's me up front on the right not afraid to hide my face behind a mask - and back when I had more personal "physical assets" (fat) and chin whiskers.
Here's a couple groupings of pics of us "playing the game". A bit ... hardcore? Mayhap.
Yeah, nowdays, the people wearing cowboy hats/boots tend to be truckers, bikers, and yuppies. Real working cowboys nowdays more often wear track shoes or workboots, and baseball hats - until they spiff up to head to town.
Mikey - yee ol' grumpy blacksmith out in the Hinterlands