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

Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Valley, (1866)(1866)Albert BierstadtAlbert 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 The Traditional View of the WestWest

The Traditional View of the The Traditional View of the WestWest

Cowboys relaxing in the shade.Cowboys relaxing in the shade.

Famous Wild West Famous Wild West QuotationsQuotations

• “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 Famous Wild West QuotationsQuotations

• "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.

““The Cowboy Code”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 BusterThe Bronc BusterFrederick RemingtonFrederick Remington

The Fall of the The Fall of the CowboyCowboy

Frederick RemingtonFrederick Remington

A Romantic ViewA Romantic ViewA Romantic ViewA Romantic View

Black CowboysBlack Cowboys

William “Buffalo Bill” William “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Cody’s Wild West

ShowShow

William “Buffalo Bill” William “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Cody’s Wild West

ShowShow

““Buffalo Buffalo Bill”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.

““Buffalo Buffalo Bill”Bill”

• 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” Cody & Sitting Buffalo Bill” Cody & Sitting BullBull

““Buffalo Bill” Cody & Sitting Buffalo Bill” Cody & Sitting BullBull

Legendary Female Western Legendary Female Western CharactersCharacters

Legendary Female Western Legendary Female Western CharactersCharacters

Annie OakleyAnnie OakleyAnnie OakleyAnnie Oakley

Legendary Female Western Legendary Female Western CharactersCharacters

Legendary Female Western Legendary Female Western CharactersCharacters

Calamity JaneCalamity JaneCalamity JaneCalamity Jane

Colt .45 RevolverColt .45 RevolverColt .45 RevolverColt .45 Revolver

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

Legendary Gunslingers & Train Legendary Gunslingers & Train RobbersRobbers

Legendary Gunslingers & Train Legendary Gunslingers & Train RobbersRobbers

Jesse JamesJesse James

Billy the KidBilly the Kid

Dodge City Peace Dodge City Peace Commission, 1890Commission, 1890Dodge City Peace Dodge City Peace Commission, 1890Commission, 1890

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 LadiesPainted 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 SaloonsWestern 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.

Dime NovelsDime Novels

• Jesse James Protector. No. 113.New York: Jesse James Stories, 1903

Dime NovelsDime Novels

• Crack Skull Bob. No. 5.New York: Orum & Company,1872

Dime NovelsDime Novels• King of the Wild West's

Cattle War or Stella's Bout with the Rival Ranchers, Crack Skull Bob, no. 170New York: Smith Publishing, July 20, 1907

Dime NovelsDime Novels

• Jessie James the Outlaw, no. 2New York: Jesse James Stories, December 22, 1897

Dime NovelsDime Novels

• Young Wild West Missing; or Saved by an Indian Princess, no. 8New York: December 12, 1902

Dime NovelsDime Novels

• Jesse James's Oath or Tracked to Death, no. 6, January 19, 1898 New York: Street & Smith Publishers, 1898

John Wayne John Wayne QuotationsQuotations• "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 John Wayne QuotationsQuotations• 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: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?