SORTING MYTHS FROM REALITY IN THE WEST THAT NEVER WAS

Whatever happened to the great American West? Was it all just a myth after all? Was it a myth initiated by Eastern railroad tycoons nurtured with visual images by Catlin, promoted by Greeley, mapped by the political ambitions of John C. Fremont, explored by John Wesley Powell, populated by waves of immigrants, defended by lonely young troopers and perpetuated by larger-than-life Hollywood images?

The West thus presented to us—NEVER REALLY WAS! The original native Americans were not Americans. In spite of their ancient ideas of always having been here—at the center of the universe, the fact is they were not native. They walked across the landmass that once connected Asia with North America. They were not Americans for that same reason. But it was no myth that these earliest Americans have been brutally treated from the very beginning and ever since.

For those traveling west in a wagon train, these first Americans were seldom even seen, let alone busily slaughtering every living thing. It was much more likely that they stalked the wagons out of great concern and to steal a horse or some cattle than to practice the fine art of scalping—a trade they learned from the British—and first regarded as uncivilized.

What was seen all along the trails was human clutter, discarded furniture, wheels, clothes and human waste, everywhere. In season, on the Platte, one could see several wagon trains ahead of him and as many as eight wagon trains stretched out behind.

But the first Americans were not the organized, peaceful societies Catlin and now the revisionists would have us believe. It is true—they always had potential problems with alcohol—as did the white men on the western frontier. And the Plains Indians—Sioux, Cheyenne, Crow, and Blackfoot conducted regular fierce raiding parties against each other when no white settlements seemed “easy”. These raids were part of a way of life and every bit as fierce and intense as anything directed against whites. (DISCLAIMER—This is not a politically correct view.) It was also no myth that this was and is a vast and spectacular land, full of breathtaking beauty. And it was no myth that, in the west, one could and still can start over. Then what were some of the myths that helped form our image of the West? Perhaps the largest myth was that of the cowboy. It is important to note that:

—This whole cowboy era lasted only about 30 years.

—The cowboy couldn’t shoot straight and had no desire to learn.

—His work was hard, cold, dusty and always potentially dangerous.

—His hours were long; his pay was low, his fringe benefits and pension—non-existent.

Another myth to be dispelled is that of the frontier town and the life there. The life was dreary, lonely, drab, dirty and monotonous. Without the stabilizing, civilizing influence of girl friends, wives and mothers, frontier men let themselves go, smoked and drank too much and gambled away their wages. With very few families and probably no church or school, the typical town at first consisted of little more than saloons, brothels and maybe a boarding house. Town life was hot and dusty in summer, cold, grimy and muddy in winter and boring all year long.

So, whatever happened to the American West?