While resources for interior or exterior domestic ornamentation were scarce out West, many ranching families used the skulls of elk or deer to decorate their rooflines and doorframes, like the North Dakota ranch house pictured here.

Hunting was a significant component of the cowboy way of life. At the start of the 1800s, native species such as elk and buffalo existed in such large numbers that it made ranching nearly impossible. Of course, by 1900, the wild buffalo had been nearly wiped out in North America.

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What daily life in the Wild West was really like in historic photos