the myth & legend of the west

Photography & Art of the West Photograph of lithograph by Gaylord Watson, 1881, depicting a romantic land known as the "Great West"

Yosemite Valley, (1866) Albert Bierstadt

American westward expansion is idealized in Emanuel Leutze's famous painting Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way (1861).

This painting (circa 1872) by John Gast called American Progress is an allegorical representation of Manifest Destiny.

The Traditional View of the West

Cowboys relaxing in the shade.

Famous Wild West Quotations “Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.” –anonymous “The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.”—anonymous

Famous Wild West Quotations "I love it. It is wild with adventure."  Henry Starr describing the bandit life in the Old West shortly before he was shot to death in a gunfight in Arkansas. ''I'm not afraid to die like a man fighting, but I would not like to be killed like a dog unarmed.'' Billy the Kid in a letter to Governor Lew Wallace, March 1879.

Cowboys & Cowgirls

“The Cowboy Code” Cowboys followed an informal code, ideals that all cowboys followed. "A man's got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.“ John Wayne Always be courageous. Cowards aren't tolerated in any outfit worth its salt. A cowboy always helps someone in need, even a stranger or an enemy. Don't inquire into a person's past. Take the measure of a man for what he is today. Never steal another man's horse. A horse thief pays with his life. Defend yourself whenever necessary. Look out for your own. Remove your guns before sitting at the dining table. Never order anything weaker than whiskey.

The Bronc Buster Frederick Remington

The Fall of the Cowboy Frederick Remington

A Romantic View

Black Cowboys

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Show

“Buffalo Bill” William Frederick Cody (1846-1917), known as Buffalo Bill, served as U.S. army scout, a buffalo hunter for the railroad, and as a renowned prairie scouts. He is probably best know as the man who gave the "Wild West" its name. In 1883, Cody created the Wild West show, a vehicle that propelled him to fortune and worldwide fame and helped create a lasting image of the American West.

The four hour show, which ran from 1883 until 1913, included legendary figures such as Sitting Bull, Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley. It comprised such acts as Indian war dances, an "attack" on a stagecoach, trick riders, ropers, and shooters as well as many different wild American animals. “Buffalo Bill”

“Buffalo Bill” Cody & Sitting Bull

Legendary Female Western Characters Though not in the same numbers as men, women participated in ranch life from the start. They raised and herded cattle and rode on the trails. Some women even became notorious cattle rustlers. Yet, the term ''cowgirl'' was first used in the 1890s, as rodeos and Wild West shows created the image of a female sharp-shooter and bronco buster. Annie Oakley was an invention of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, as the passage below explains. Annie Oakley

Legendary Female Western Characters Calamity Jane

the GUNSLINGERS

God didn’t make men equal. Colonel Colt did! Colt .45 Revolver God didn’t make men equal. Colonel Colt did!

Legendary Gunslingers & Train Robbers Jesse James Billy the Kid

Dodge City Peace Commission, 1890

“Painted Ladies” & Saloon Workers In the Wild West, the harsh Puritan sanctions were not as “practical” as in America’s more conservative eastern counterpart. Many of the people of the West were raised on farms or small communities where animals were often seen mating.

Painted Ladies And though the “proper” ladies still labeled those who didn’t share their values—by virtue of dress, behavior or sexual ethics, as “disgraceful,” the shady ladies of the West were generally tolerated by other women as a “necessary evil.” The California ‘49ers labeled these women with names such as “ladies of the line” and “sporting women, while the cowboys dubbed them “soiled doves.”

Western Women & the Saloons The biggest difference in the American West was the presence of girls in saloons. This was unheard of east of the Missouri River, except in German beer halls, where the daughters or wives of the owners, often served as barmaids dancers, and waitresses.

Literature oft the Old West: Dime Novels

Dime Novels Jesse James Protector. No. 113. New York: Jesse James Stories, 1903 Dime novels were printed stories that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They told stories of mountain men and adventurers and, later, of gun-toting outlaws and detectives. Some names that were made popular in dime novels were Kit Carson, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. The readers of the dime novels were largely young, working-class men. Dime novels were immensely popular.

Dime Novels Crack Skull Bob. No. 5. New York: Orum & Company,1872 Dime novels were printed stories that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They told stories of mountain men and adventurers and, later, of gun-toting outlaws and detectives. Some names that were made popular in dime novels were Kit Carson, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. The readers of the dime novels were largely young, working-class men. Dime novels were immensely popular.

Dime Novels King of the Wild West's Cattle War or Stella's Bout with the Rival Ranchers, Crack Skull Bob, no. 170 New York: Smith Publishing, July 20, 1907 Dime novels were printed stories that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They told stories of mountain men and adventurers and, later, of gun-toting outlaws and detectives. Some names that were made popular in dime novels were Kit Carson, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. The readers of the dime novels were largely young, working-class men. Dime novels were immensely popular.

Dime Novels Jessie James the Outlaw, no. 2 New York: Jesse James Stories, December 22, 1897 Dime novels were printed stories that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They told stories of mountain men and adventurers and, later, of gun-toting outlaws and detectives. Some names that were made popular in dime novels were Kit Carson, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. The readers of the dime novels were largely young, working-class men. Dime novels were immensely popular.

Dime Novels Young Wild West Missing; or Saved by an Indian Princess, no. 8 New York: December 12, 1902 Dime novels were printed stories that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They told stories of mountain men and adventurers and, later, of gun-toting outlaws and detectives. Some names that were made popular in dime novels were Kit Carson, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. The readers of the dime novels were largely young, working-class men. Dime novels were immensely popular.

Dime Novels Jesse James's Oath or Tracked to Death, no. 6, January 19, 1898 New York: Street & Smith Publishers, 1898 Dime novels were printed stories that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They told stories of mountain men and adventurers and, later, of gun-toting outlaws and detectives. Some names that were made popular in dime novels were Kit Carson, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill. The readers of the dime novels were largely young, working-class men. Dime novels were immensely popular.

The Old West: Let’s Go to the Movies!

John Wayne Quotations "Talk low, talk slow, and don't say too much." Reportedly, this quote was an acting tip from John Wayne to fellow actor Michael Caine. "Courage is being scared to death - and saddling up anyway." John Wayne was an actor who starred in many Western movies, often playing the role of a cowboy or gunfighter. Tall, handsome, graceful, and captivating, Wayne was the Number One Movie Star in America for decades. For many Americans, Wayne represents the cowboy.

John Wayne Quotations Inscription on Wayne's headstone: "Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learnt something from yesterday."

Discussion Question: What do the images of the landscape and individuals reveal about attitudes of Americans toward the American West? What inaccuracies about life in the American West could you find in the examples of literature, art, photographs, and Hollywood movies displayed in this presentation?