What kind of person would you have been in the American West?

Take this personality quiz to see what you have in common with some famous Western folks. Choose the answer to each question that describes you best. When you're done, scroll down to see your results.

1. Do you enjoy hiking or climbing through rough terrain?

2. Would you take on the mathematical and scientific challenges involved in designing a transcontinental railroad?

3. If you came upon a stranded family heading to California, would you be willing to stop and help them fix their wagon?

4. When sitting around the campfire, would your friends look to you to spin a good story or play some music?

5. Would you run for mayor in a frontier town?

6. When planning a trip West, would you research and follow published directions for the Overland Trail?

7. If you worked for the Union Pacific, would you be the troubleshooter when a railroad car needed fixing?

8. If you were tracking an outlaw on the frontier, would you enjoy interviewing townspeople to uncover clues?

9. When you arrived in a frontier town, would you seek out new friends at the local saloon?

10. If you had some free time would you go see a traveling musical revue or other entertainment?

11. As the boss of a mining company, would you be comfortable telling workers what to do?

12. If your frontier town needed a better water supply, would you enjoy managing the construction of an irrigation system?

13. Would you describe yourself as practical and "down-to-earth"?

14. If you met some pioneering photographers, would you want to find out how their cameras worked?

15. If you relocated to a Western town, would you make it a high priority to seek new friends there?

16. Would you loan your talents to your town's first-ever Founders' Day celebration by writing, drawing, singing, building, or acting?

17. Do you hope to be as famous as Buffalo Bill or Annie Oakley?

18. If you chose to pack up and head West, would you first attend to all your local business affairs?

QUIZ RESULTS

These results show what you have in common with some famous Western folks.

Realistic -- if you answered 'yes' to questions 1, 7, 13

You like to be practical and pragmatic. You may like to work with your hands and tackle concrete tasks, like fixing a wagon wheel or clearing a field. Some Western personalities with this realistic trait:

• The Breen Family, survivors of the failed Donner Party.
• John Muir, the "father of wilderness" who founded the Sierra Club.
• Workers of the Central Pacific Railroad, who blasted through the Sierra Nevada.
• Workers of the Union Pacific Railroad, who built the line across the Great Plains.

Artistic -- if you answered 'yes' to questions 4, 10, 16 
You have a creative impulse. Perhaps with your interest in the arts, you could have designed some eye-popping posters for Buffalo Bill -- or started a rival Wild West show! Some artistically inclined folks from the West:

• Thomas Moran, the painter who created captivating landscapes.
• Vicente Perez Rosales, the Chilean writer who traveled to California in search of gold.
• William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who created the Wild West show.
• Robert Vance and Carleton Watkins, photographers who captured the American West.
• Francis Parkman. the writer whose work helped develop a myth of the west.

Investigative -- if you answered 'yes' to questions 2, 8, 14
You like to investigate and explore. Your math and science skills would come in handy when surveying uncharted territories. Some famous Western folks with this investigative nature:

• Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, who led a Federal geological survey of the West.
• James Howden, who figured out how the Central Pacific Railroad could blast through the Sierra Nevadas using nitroglycerin.
• Theodore Judah, who first made his mark as a young railroad engineer.

Social -- if you answered 'yes' to questions 3, 9, 15
You like to get involved and help others. Your great communication skills would help you make friends on a long wagon train. Other social folks from the West:

• Mary Lucinda Bonney, who advocated for the protection of Native American lands.
• Hiram Pierce, the Troy, New York community leader who went to California in search of gold.
• James Bowie, the expert fighter who befriended influential Tejanos and died defending the Alamo.

Enterprising -- if you answered 'yes' to questions 5, 11, 17
You like to take charge. You would feel comfortable leading a group on an overland migration through rough terrain. Enterprising individuals from the American West:

• Samuel Brannan, the ambitious business leader who capitalized on the Gold Rush.
• Red Cloud, the Sioux leader who lobbied the U.S. government for better treatment of Native Americans.
• Luzena Stanely Wilson, the entrepreneur who opened a restaurant and made a fortune feeding Gold Rush prospectors.
• Davy Crockett, the Tennessee adventurer who helped defend the Alamo.
• José Antonio Navarro, the Tejano leader who was instrumental to Texan independence.
• John Wesley Powell, the Western scout who explored the Grand Canyon.
• Kit Carson, the scout, trapper and Federal Indian agent who helped guide John Wesley Powell.
• Sitting Bull, the Sioux political and spiritual leader who joined Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show.
• Leland Stanford, the president of the Central Pacific Railroad.
• Brigham Young, the leader who guided the Mormons into Utah.

Organized -- if you answered 'yes' to questions 6, 12, 18
You like to keep your saddlebags lined up in a row. You might enjoy working with well-defined rules and paying attention to detail. Some organized characters from the American West:

• Mark Hopkins, the treasurer of the Central Pacific Railroad.
• Annie Oakley, the sharp-shooting star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.
• Sara Pierce, who managed business and family while her husband was in California searching for gold.
• Allan Pinkerton, the abolitionist who founded America's first detective agency.