Men playing poker in the woods.
At the conclusion of the Civil War, America pushed her boundaries West, where the frontier was born of speculators, travelers, and miners. These hardy pioneers had high risk taking characteristics, making any gambling situation a popular pastime for these rough and tumble men of the frontier. In virtually every mining camp and prairie town a poker table could soon be found in each saloon, surrounded by prospectors, lawmen, cowboys, railroad workers, soldiers, and outlaws for a chance to tempt fortune and fate.

Whether the men shown in the photo above were prospectors or simple settlers is unknown. But, given no saloon in the area, they made due with a makeshift game of poker just outside this small cabin.
Vintage photo restored by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.