DOCSLIB.ORG

BBHC Outdoor Sculptures Twain & Cody

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
BBHC Outdoor Sculptures Twain & Cody 63170PointWest_Winter.qxd 11/20/06 2:28 PM Page 1 BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER I CODY, WYOMING I WINTER 2006 Art and the elements: BBHC outdoor sculptures Twain & Cody: Exit stage right Walking the Lewis & Clark Trail, Part 2 A night in Moscow for 30th Patrons Ball 63170PointWest_Winter.qxd 11/20/06 2:28 PM Page 2 Director’s Desk by Robert E. Shimp, PhD Executive Director f there’s one unmistakable theme with this issue of If you haven’t reviewed those BBHC benefits lately, Points West, it’s membership. With a look at the here are some reminders: The annual $60 Family Patrons Ball photographs, the special patron pre-sale membership allows you and your dependent children I free admission to the BBHC — any day, any time, all of Cowboy Songs & Range Ballads concert tickets, and the announcement of the new “Congress of Rough year long. With the Centennial membership, add Riders” (CORR) membership category, I can only free admission for two guests when you accompany conclude one thing: It pays to be a member of the them, along with admission to the seven other Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC). museums of the Museums West Consortium —a In fact, it’s easy to spot that thread of “membership” terrific value for those who live here in Cody or who in every issue of Points West as the articles and travel. Corporate members enjoy the added benefits information are sure to appeal to patrons who love the of member referrals, and Cody Firearms Museum art, culture, and natural history of the American West. members have benefits specific to their special Factor in special membership activities, savings in interests: free serial number searches, discounted Museum Selections — on site and online — and patron factory letters, and CORR membership for those who discounts to BBHC events, programs, and tours. I’ll say it belong to the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS). again: It pays to be a BBHC member. For more information about these and other Jan Jones, BBHC Membership Director, has certainly membership categories, check our Web site brought together excellent activities and great benefits (www.bbhc.org), or contact Jan at 307.578.4032 or for BBHC patrons, and I hear there are more to come. [email protected]. The activities alone are reason enough to join, from A BBHC membership makes a wonderful holiday September’s member trail ride —complete with scenery, gift, too, and now that 2007 is fast approaching, this song, and sensational food — to the increasingly popular would be a good time for a new resolution: Join the Buffalo Girls luncheons in the fall and spring, and our Buffalo Bill Historical Center today for a “Western annual Valentine’s Day Dinner. Did I mention there never adventure that lasts an entire year!” I was a better time to become a BBHC member? Happy Holidays, Everyone! P O I N T S W E S T © 2006 Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Written permission is required to copy, reprint, or distribute Points West materials in any medium or About the cover: format. All photographs in Points West are Buffalo Bill Historical Center photos unless otherwise noted. Address correspondence to Editor, Points BBHC galleries aren't just restricted to the West, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 720 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, Wyoming building’s interior. The BBHC’s collection 82414 or [email protected]. of outdoor sculptures makes galleries of Senior Editor: Mr. Lee Haines its gardens, not to be missed by the visitor. Managing Editor: Ms. Marguerite House Copy Editors: Ms. Lynn Pitet, Ms. Joanne Patterson Michael Coleman (b. 1946), Big Hal, Designer: Ms. Jan Woods–Krier/Prodesign 2003. Bronze, 84 x 55 x 60 inches. Photography Staff: Ms. Chris Gimmeson, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Mr. Sean Campbell Wyoming. Gift of Jim and Kathy Taggart, Points West is published quarterly as a benefit of membership in the 6.04. Photo by Chris Gimmeson. Buffalo Bill Historical Center. For membership information, contact: Ms. Jan Jones Director of Membership Buffalo Bill Historical Center 720 Sheridan Avenue Cody, WY 82414 [email protected] The Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC) is a private, non-profit, educational 307.587.4771 institution dedicated to preserving and interpreting the natural and cultural history of the American West. Founded in 1917, the BBHC is home to the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Plains www.bbhc.org Indian Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Draper Museum of Natural History, and McCracken Research Library. 63170PointWest_Winter.qxd 11/20/06 2:28 PM Page 3 Points West I Spring 2006 Contents The blue and white “onion domes” of fourteenth-century Russia were the order of the evening as “Moscow Nights” was the theme for this year's Patrons Ball. FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 4 Mark Twain and Buffalo Bill Cody: mirrored through 23 COMING UP a glass darkly (part 4) . Both men worked hard, “Memories and Melodies” commemorates Cowboy admirably paid off their debts, and eventually were Songs’ 25th. off to new ventures . by Sandra K. Sagala 24 YELLOWSTONE CORNER 9 A record year for CFM records . An old Chinese BBHC partners with Xanterra in Yellowstone. proverb states, “May you live in interesting times.” This year has definitely fallen into the category of “interesting 26 DEVELOPMENTS times” for the Cody Firearms Museum (CFM) Records Buffalo Bill Historical Center creates Congress of Rough Office . by David Kennedy Riders . by Steve Greaves 12 On the trail with Lewis & Clark (part 2) . A journal- 28 NEWS BRIEFS ist there asked me why I was so far ahead of the Patrons Ball montage, new WGWA curator, and other Corps in travel time. It was simple, really: I just amble BBHC news along with a backpack, not worried much about encouraging a keelboat or making peace talks with the Indians or plotting the stars for distance traveled . by Guy Gertsch 16 A Celebration of the American West through outdoor sculpture: Art and the elements . With Bob Scriver's sculpture of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody stationed like an overseer at the entrance to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC), it's as if the Grand Showman himself beckons visitors — and that's just the beginning . by Christine Brindza with photography by Chris Gimmeson and Sean Campbell Visit us online . Remember: The Buffalo Bill Historical Center’s Web site has our calendar of events as well as additional information about many of the stories in this issue of Points West. Visit us online at www.bbhc.org. Magazine of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center • Cody, Wyoming 3 63170PointWest_Winter.qxd 11/20/06 2:28 PM Page 4 Mark Twain and Mirrored through a by Sandra K. Sagala a place he could call home during the off-season of the Wild West and so authorized construction of a large house in North Platte, Nebraska that he would call “Scout’s Rest.” The Wild West show made Cody a very rich man. In 1885, 50-year-old Twain, too, was a very rich man —so much so that he was “frightened at the proportions of my prosperity. It seems to me that whatever I touch turns to gold.” He confided to a correspondent that the world might well view him as “the shrewdest, craftiest, and most unscrupulous business-sharp in the country.” Yet a few short years later, after he sunk thousands of dollars into a lavish home in Hartford, Connecticut, and had lost thousands more on unprofitable patents and inventions—including a steam engine, steam pulley, a scrapbook, and a typesetting machine that chronically broke down—the Clemenses were unable to afford the maintenance of their Hartford house and so moved to Europe. Only his wife Livy’s inheritance kept the family afloat. Then, the publishing company he had started with Buffalo Bill in his Wild West show dress, ca. 1907. Original Buffalo Bill Charles Webster lost money and went bankrupt in 1894. Museum Collection. Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming. Though Twain never personally declared bankruptcy, he Bequest in memory of the Houx and Newell Families. P.69.1231.1 felt responsible for the debts of the business. When he should have been considering retirement, In this, the final installment of a four-part series, Sandra Clemens felt obligated to undertake a demanding around- Sagala chronicles the later years of Mark Twain and Buffalo the-world lecture tour at age 59 in order to repay the Bill Cody, including Cody’s Wild West show and Twain’s debtors. It would take from four to seven years to repay the exhaustive lecture circuit at nearly 60 years of age. She also money, but as an honorable man, Twain determined to do discusses their health and financial issues as well as it. The tour exhausted him, however, and he wrote a friend the manner in which they spent their last days — again that he was “tired of the platform . tired of the slavery of surprisingly similar. it, tired of having to rest-up for it; diet myself for it . deny myself in a thousand ways in its interest.” But no matter ith his stage show growing larger and more how many times he announced his desire to retire from popular each year, Cody considered the idea of public lecturing, he continued on because it was lucrative Wa grand outdoor exhibition. The success of his and because he so loved mastering audiences. “Old Glory Blowout” on July 4, 1882, convinced him of Buffalo Bill’s experiences in finances were remarkably the viability of such a program and soon afterwards he similar. Cody was a generous man and gave jobs and was in full preparation for a huge traveling Wild West money to needy friends and relatives.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • How the West Was Once Tour from Phoenix | 4-Days, 3-Nights
    HOW THE WEST WAS ONCE TOUR FROM PHOENIX | 4-DAYS, 3-NIGHTS BISBEE • TOMBSTONE • TUBAC • TUCSON Tombstone TOUR HIGHLIGHTS Travel back to the 19th century, a time when Why DETOURS? cowboy rivals held gunfights in the streets of Tombstone and outlaws made the west wild. • Small group tour with up to 12 passengers – no crowds! • The best historical lodging available – no lines! Tales of conquest and survival come to life on a 4-day, 3-night • Custom touring vehicles with comfortable, individual guided tour from Phoenix. This western trip of a lifetime captain’s chairs, plenty of legroom, and large picture explores several historic Southern Arizona locations like Fort windows to enjoy the views Bowie, San Xavier del Bac mission, the Amerind Museum, and the old mining town of Bisbee. Small group tour • Expert guides who are CPR and First Aid certified dates coincide with Wyatt Earp Days or Helldorado Days in Tombstone for a truly immersive experience. Tour Dates & Pricing Fall 2020: November 6th - 9th $1,195 per person for double occupancy $1,620 per person for single occupancy PACKAGES START AT $1,195* * Double Occupancy. Includes guided tour, lodging, some meals, entrance fees, and taxes BOOK NOW AT DETOURSAMERICANWEST.COM/HWWOT Fort Bowie TOUR ITINERARY DAY ONE DAY TWO the most beautiful vineyards in the region for a flight of wine tasting. After enjoying the After an early breakfast, our tour heads Known as the “Town Too Tough to Die”, delicious drinks, we continue west to Tubac, south into the heart of Arizona’s Sonoran Tombstone was home to famous outlaws, where an incredible collection of artists and Desert, surrounded by towering saguaro, pioneers, miners, cattlemen, and cowboys craftspeople have created the world famous volcanic peaks, and endless horizons.
    [Show full text]
  • Have Gun, Will Travel: the Myth of the Frontier in the Hollywood Western John Springhall
    Feature Have gun, will travel: The myth of the frontier in the Hollywood Western John Springhall Newspaper editor (bit player): ‘This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, we print the legend’. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (dir. John Ford, 1962). Gil Westrum (Randolph Scott): ‘You know what’s on the back of a poor man when he dies? The clothes of pride. And they are not a bit warmer to him dead than they were when he was alive. Is that all you want, Steve?’ Steve Judd (Joel McCrea): ‘All I want is to enter my house justified’. Ride the High Country [a.k.a. Guns in the Afternoon] (dir. Sam Peckinpah, 1962)> J. W. Grant (Ralph Bellamy): ‘You bastard!’ Henry ‘Rico’ Fardan (Lee Marvin): ‘Yes, sir. In my case an accident of birth. But you, you’re a self-made man.’ The Professionals (dir. Richard Brooks, 1966).1 he Western movies that from Taround 1910 until the 1960s made up at least a fifth of all the American film titles on general release signified Lee Marvin, Lee Van Cleef, John Wayne and Strother Martin on the set of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance escapist entertainment for British directed and produced by John Ford. audiences: an alluring vision of vast © Sunset Boulevard/Corbis open spaces, of cowboys on horseback outlined against an imposing landscape. For Americans themselves, the Western a schoolboy in the 1950s, the Western believed that the western frontier was signified their own turbulent frontier has an undeniable appeal, allowing the closing or had already closed – as the history west of the Mississippi in the cinemagoer to interrogate, from youth U.
    [Show full text]
  • Nebraska's Unique Contribution to the Entertainment World
    Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Nebraska’s Unique Contribution to the Entertainment World Full Citation: William E Deahl Jr, “Nebraska’s Unique Contribution to the Entertainment World,” Nebraska History 49 (1968): 282-297 URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1968Entertainment.pdf Date: 11/23/2015 Article Summary: Buffalo Bill Cody and Dr. W F Carver were not the first to mount a Wild West show, but their opening performances in 1883 were the first truly successful entertainments of that type. Their varied acts attracted audiences familiar with Cody and his adventures. Cataloging Information: Names: William F Cody, W F Carver, James Butler Hickok, P T Barnum, Sidney Barnett, Ned Buntline (Edward Zane Carroll Judson), Joseph G McCoy, Nate Salsbury, Frank North, A H Bogardus Nebraska Place Names: Omaha Wild West Shows: Wild West, Rocky Mountain and Prairie Exhibition
    [Show full text]
  • Frontier Identity in Cultural Events in Holmes County, Florida
    University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2011 Frontier Identity in Cultural Events in Holmes County, Florida Tyler Dawson Keith Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Keith, Tyler Dawson, "Frontier Identity in Cultural Events in Holmes County, Florida" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 163. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/163 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FRONTIER IDENTITY IN CULTURAL EVENTS IN HOLMES COUNTY, FLORIDA A Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of requirements For the degree of Master of Arts In the Department of Southern Studies The University of Mississippi by TYLER D. KEITH May 2011 Copyright Tyler D. Keith 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Holmes County, Florida plays host to several cultural events that perpetuate a frontier identity for its citizens. These events include the dedication of a homesteading cabin, which serves as the meeting place for other ―pioneer days‖ events; ―Drums along the Choctawhatchee‖, an event put on by a local Creek Indian tribe that celebrates the collaborative nature of pioneer and Native Americans; the 66th annual North West Florida Championship Rodeo; and a local fish-fry. Each of these events celebrates the frontier identity of the county in unique and important ways. Using the images of the frontier created by William ―Buffalo Bill‖ Cody‘s Wild West show and the ideas championed by Fredrick Jackson Turner in his famous essay ―The Importance of the Frontier in American History‖ as models, Holmes County constructs its own frontier image through the celebration of these combined cultural events.
    [Show full text]
  • Buffalo Bill Historical Center Cody, Wyoming
    SPRINGPW09a.qxd:Layout 1 2/26/09 12:06 PM Page 1 BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER I CODY, WYOMING I SPRING 2009 SPRINGPW09a.qxd:Layout 1 2/26/09 12:06 PM Page 2 To the point © 2009 Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC). Written permission is required to copy, reprint, or distribute Points West materials in any medium or format. All photographs in Points West are BBHC photos unless otherwise noted. Questions about image rights and reproductions should be directed to Digital Collections Librarian Megan Peacock at [email protected] or 307.587.2619. Bibliographies, works cited, and foot- notes, etc. are purposely omitted to conserve space. However, such information is available by contacting the editor. Address correspondence to Editor, Points West, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 720 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, Wyoming 82414 or [email protected]. Senior Editor By Bruce Eldredge Mr. Lee Haines Executive Director Managing Editor Ms. Marguerite House pring is just around the corner, and we at the Copy Editor Buffalo Bill Historical Center hope the end to the Ms. Nancy McClure nation’s economic recession is also just around the Designer S Ms. Jan Woods–Krier corner. Your museum has made many changes over the Contributing Staff Photographers past few months, only a small portion of which is in Ms. Chris Gimmeson, photography manager; response to the tough economic times. Most of the Ms. Nancy McClure; Mr. Mack Frost; Ms. Anne Marie Shriver changes—cancelling some programs, changing emphasis Historical Photographs/Rights and Reproductions to help our staff focus more on our visitors and members, Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Arizona, Southwestern and Borderlands Photograph Collection, Circa 1873-2011 (Bulk 1920-1970)
    Arizona, Southwestern and Borderlands Photograph collection, circa 1873-2011 (bulk 1920-1970) Collection Number: Use folder title University of Arizona Library Special Collections Note: Press the Control button and the “F” button simultaneously to bring up a search box. Collection Summary Creator: Various sources Collection Name: Arizona, Southwestern and Borderlands Photograph collection Inclusive Dates: 1875-2011 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1920-1970) Physical Description: 95 linear feet Abstract: The Arizona, Southwestern and Borderland photograph collection is an artificially created collection that consists of many folders containing photographs, from various sources, of Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico arranged by topics including places, people, events and activities, and dating from about 1875 to the present, but mostly after 1920. Formats include postcards, stereographs, cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards, cyanotypes, view books, photograph albums, panoramas and photoprints. Collection Number: Use folder title Language: Materials are in English and Spanish. Repository: University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections University of Arizona PO Box 210055 Tucson, AZ 85721-0055 Phone: 520-621-6423 Fax: 520-621-9733 URL: http://speccoll. library.arizona.edu/ E-Mail: [email protected] Historical Note The Photograph subject files were created and added to by Special Collections staff members, over the years, from donations received from various sources, in order to provide subject access to these photographs within Special Collections holdings. Scope and Content Note The files generally fall into the categories of Arizona and New Mexico cities and towns, military posts, and other places; Tucson, Ariz.; Indians of Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico; Mexico; and individual people. Formats include postcards, stereographs, cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards, cyanotypes, viewbooks, and photoprints.
    [Show full text]
  • THE WALTER STANLEY CAMPBELL COLLECTION Inventory and Index
    THE WALTER STANLEY CAMPBELL COLLECTION Inventory and Index Revised and edited by Kristina L. Southwell Associates of the Western History Collections Norman, Oklahoma 2001 Boxes 104 through 121 of this collection are available online at the University of Oklahoma Libraries website. THE COVER Michelle Corona-Allen of the University of Oklahoma Communication Services designed the cover of this book. The three photographs feature images closely associated with Walter Stanley Campbell and his research on Native American history and culture. From left to right, the first photograph shows a ledger drawing by Sioux chief White Bull that depicts him capturing two horses from a camp in 1876. The second image is of Walter Stanley Campbell talking with White Bull in the early 1930s. Campbell’s oral interviews of prominent Indians during 1928-1932 formed the basis of some of his most respected books on Indian history. The third photograph is of another White Bull ledger drawing in which he is shown taking horses from General Terry’s advancing column at the Little Big Horn River, Montana, 1876. Of this act, White Bull stated, “This made my name known, taken from those coming below, soldiers and Crows were camped there.” Available from University of Oklahoma Western History Collections 630 Parrington Oval, Room 452 Norman, Oklahoma 73019 No state-appropriated funds were used to publish this guide. It was published entirely with funds provided by the Associates of the Western History Collections and other private donors. The Associates of the Western History Collections is a support group dedicated to helping the Western History Collections maintain its national and international reputation for research excellence.
    [Show full text]
  • Horses in the Southwest Tobi Taylor and William H
    ARCHAEOLOGY SOUTHWEST CONTINUE ON TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR YOUR magazineFREE PDF (formerly the Center for Desert Archaeology) is a private 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that explores and protects the places of our past across the American Southwest and Mexican Northwest. We have developed an integrated, conservation- based approach known as Preservation Archaeology. Although Preservation Archaeology begins with the active protection of archaeological sites, it doesn’t end there. We utilize holistic, low-impact investigation methods in order to pursue big-picture questions about what life was like long ago. As a part of our mission to help foster advocacy and appreciation for the special places of our past, we share our discoveries with the public. This free back issue of Archaeology Southwest Magazine is one of many ways we connect people with the Southwest’s rich past. Enjoy! Not yet a member? Join today! Membership to Archaeology Southwest includes: » A Subscription to our esteemed, quarterly Archaeology Southwest Magazine » Updates from This Month at Archaeology Southwest, our monthly e-newsletter » 25% off purchases of in-print, in-stock publications through our bookstore » Discounted registration fees for Hands-On Archaeology classes and workshops » Free pdf downloads of Archaeology Southwest Magazine, including our current and most recent issues » Access to our on-site research library » Invitations to our annual members’ meeting, as well as other special events and lectures Join us at archaeologysouthwest.org/how-to-help In the meantime, stay informed at our regularly updated Facebook page! 300 N Ash Alley, Tucson AZ, 85701 • (520) 882-6946 • [email protected] • www.archaeologysouthwest.org Archaeology Southwest Volume 18, Number 3 Center for Desert Archaeology Summer 2004 Horses in the Southwest Tobi Taylor and William H.
    [Show full text]
  • Frederick Jackson Turner and Buffalo Bill Richard White
    Frederick Jackson Turner and Buffalo Bill Richard White Americans have never had much use for history, but we do like anniversaries. In 1893 Frederick Jackson Turner, who would become the most eminent historian of his generation, was in Chicago to deliver an academic paper at the historical congress convened in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition. The occasion for the exposition was a slightly belated celebration of the four hundredth anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Western Hemisphere. The paper Turner presented was "The Significance of the Frontier in American History." 1 Although public anniversaries often have educational pretensions, they are primarily popular entertainments; it is the combination of the popular and the educational that makes the figurative meeting of Buffalo Bill and Turner at the Columbian Exposition so suggestive. Chicago celebrated its own progress from frontier beginnings. While Turner gave his academic talk on the frontier, Buffalo Bill played, twice a day, "every day, rain or shine," at "63rd St—Opposite the World's Fair," before a covered grandstand that could hold eighteen thousand people.2 Turner was an educator, an academic, but he had also achieved great popular success because of his mastery of popular frontier iconography. Buffalo Bill was a showman (though he never referred to his Wild West as a show) with educational pretensions. Characteristically, his program in 1893 bore the title Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World (Figure 1).3 In one of the numerous endorsements reproduced in the program, a well-known midwestern journalist, Brick Pomeroy, proclaimed the exhibition a ''Wild West Reality .
    [Show full text]
  • Wild West Canada: Buffalo Bill and Transborder History
    Wild West Canada: Buffalo Bill and Transborder History A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Adam Grieve Copyright Adam Grieve, April, 2016. All Rights Reserved Permission to Use In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 i Abstract Canadians continue to struggle with their western identity. For one reason or another, they have separated themselves from an Americanized “blood and thunder” history.
    [Show full text]
  • Wild West.” – the Omaha Daily Bee, May 21, 1883
    The Wild West Keeping the American Legend Alive By Elizabeth Mack For a month past the great event to which all our citizens were looking forward was the appearance of the Cody and Carver combination, with their original and novel Nebraska show, entitled the “Wild West.” – The Omaha Daily Bee, May 21, 1883 he newspaper excerpt above public’s imagination. What was, and way to satisfy the public’s fascination describes the first ever Wild continues to be, the attraction to these with the West. Even as early as the West exhibition of William shows and the Wild West? late 1880s, Cody and others believed F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Cody’s “The Wild West, Rocky the West was dying, and that his performed in Omaha to an Mountain, exhibitions were a way to keep it alive. Tenthusiastic crowd. Along with Codyody aandnd AAccordingccord to Sarah Blackstone, author was his one-time partner, Doc Carver,ver, ooff BuBuckskins,ck Bullets and Business, and their large troupe of performers,rs, by the ttime Cody’s shows were at the including Capt. A.H. Bogardus (U.S..S. hheighteight oof their popularity in the early champion trap shooter), as well as 18901890s,s “all but four of the Western numerous Pony Express riders tterritorieserri had become states, the and Sioux, Omaha and Pawnee lalastst Indian uprising had been Indians (Chief Sitting Bull and ququelled, and there were four Annie Oakley would later join trtranscontinental railroads.” the troupe) and even a small SSettlers were coming west by herd of buffalo. The newspaper the thousands, and for Buffalo reported “no less than 8,000 Bill, these exhibitions served persons were present to witness to not only entertain, but to the opening” of Cody’s quell what was becoming extravaganza, a substantial known as “frontier anxiety.” number even by today’s Many Americans became standards.
    [Show full text]
  • HIS 152: the Wild West
    HIST 151: “The Wild, Wild West”: Battles Over the American West and the Western Image Messiah College January Term 2013 instructor: James LaGrand daily office: Boyer 264 8:45 a.m.-noon telephone: ext. 7381 Boyer 131 email: [email protected] office hours: 1:00-2:00 p.m., daily, & by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION: Much of America’s history hinges on the West. The nation’s geographical and economic growth relied heavily on the use of western resources. Its picturesque landscapes have served as pictures of America as a whole for many. Furthermore, many Americans’ notions of who they are and what their country stands for have borrowed liberally from images of the American West. In recent decades, frequent disputes have arisen concerning the nature of the West. These disputes have often become heated precisely because many Americans understand the West in the same manner as the writer Wallace Stegner who famously described it as being “America, only more so.” Thus, attacks on the history of the West imply attacks on America; likewise, praising the history of the West seems to signify praising America. This course will examine the discussions that have taken place among historians and Americans as a whole about the meaning of the American West and the uses of western images. Six major themes we will explore during the course are the relationships--in both western history and imagery--between: whites & non-whites humans & the environment men & women violence & justice individualism & community region & nation COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. Historical Knowledge: Students will have a better historical understanding of political, social, cultural, economic, and religious practices and structures.
    [Show full text]