The glory days of the American cowboy are generally considered to have begun after the end of the Civil War in 1865 and continued until the 1890s. During this time, large numbers of cattle were being raised on the open range, and cowboys were hired to round up and drive the cattle to railheads for shipment to markets in the East. This period saw the rise of legendary figures such as Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, and Billy the Kid, and the popular image of the cowboy as a rugged, independent hero was born.