AMS 105- American West: Images and Identities

 

V. Current Images and Identities 

A. Cowboys and Indians

     Cowboys vs. Indians remains an image that is most abused and historically inaccurate in the American West. Historically, American Indians of the Plains or Southwest did not fight cowboys or cattlemen. Basically, the Anglo-American cowboy and cows replaced the American Bison, but American Indians had been removed to reservations or Indian territory in the 1840s-1850s. Early pioneers and military fight Indians but the cattle days and cowboy really came into existence after the Civil War. The Wild West shows and 'B' Westerns presented the image fundamentally because the horse, the gun and cowboy garb created an image that is more definitive and striking than 'generic' pioneer clothing.

     The origins of the cowboy really goes to the Spanish vaquero of colonial times in the Southwest (1598) and California (1769). The Western saddles and equipment are derived from Spanish and Moorish styles. Most of the early vaqueros in California and the Southwest were Indians. Between 1650 and 1750 American Indians spread horses and horse culture from the Southwest to the Southern Plains and by 1750 to the Northern Plains. French trappers observed Kiowa Indians bringing in horses to trade with the Mandan on the upper Missouri (near Bismarck, ND) in 1750. Those early 'Indian ponies' are part of the American Quarter horse mixture.

      There were some Anglo-American cowboys around the time of the Mexican American War (1846-1848) that took over areas of California, New Mexico and Texas in the 1850s. They also hired American Indian and Mexican vaqueros as hands on their ranches. After the Civil War more settlers try their hand at adapting to the Plains with cattlemen, sheepherders and dirt farmers (sodbusters). This dynamic with the Pony Express, stagecoach and finally railroad acting as communication lasted into the early 20th century. The cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail from Texas up to the railheads in Kansas lasted from 1866-1900. The cowboy on open range is a fairly rare sight with large corporate business and huge stock yards.

Native Vaquero Mexican saddle Western saddle
Texas Longhorn Cowboy 1887 American Quarter Horse

      Cowboys still exist and the rodeo is still big. However, the total lifestyle is gone. The image is still superficial and tends to over simplify the real experiences on the trail. The image reflects the cultural times so that you will see men, women, various ethnic groups, and diverse sexual preference. The urban cowboy was a prevalent image from the stage of the vaudeville days (Will Rogers was an early performer in this media), early films to the present with films like "The Midnight Cowboy" or John Travolta in the "Urban Cowboy". The image is continued in even more modern contexts with Clint Eastwood as a cop, Dirty Harry, as usual with the biggest gun possible with lines like "Make My Day...", as he threatens the bad guy. Bruce Willis admitted that his series of "Die Hard" films, with his character, John McClane ( sounds like "Shane") continued the tradition. It actually contains trickster and cowboy  elements with blatant cowboy references like " Yippee-Ki-Yay, ...", which was a Cajun derived saying in cowboy songs and lore.

B. Ecotopia-Hippies and Tree Huggers

      The conservation movement first came as the country realized that there were limits to growth. Yellowstone was the first National Park (1852), but initially people could do what they want and even hunted in the park.. From 1890-1910 the conservation movement emerged as people recognized that we had cut down 90% of our original forest. Everyone wanted to go to the woods. The Campfire Girls, Boone and Crockett Club, Audubon Society  and the Sierra Club all originated during this time. Conflict emerged between Gifford Pinchot's multi-use model of conservation and John Muir's preservation model (look but do not change) of conservation. John Muir was successful in getting Yosemite NP but lost the fight to save Hetch Hetchy Valley within the park. Ultimately, Theodore Roosevelt was able to enable presidents with the power to set aside National Monuments, which could be converted to National Parks. National Forests acted as buffers around the National Parks. The depression set the nation back and stimulated the need to employee out of work Americans in Public Works Projects. Some of these projects were destructive, like the hydroelectric dams. After WWII the 1950s brought in the interstate highway program that straightened out roads but altered the landscape, destroyed many archaeology sites and brought hard times to many towns throughout the West. This was all part of the automaker's and oil companies' plan to destroy the railroads and public transportation. Ultimately it make America dependent on foreign oil and increased air pollution.

     The 1960s saw a revival of conservation as ecology (a Native American idea)  became scientifically recognized and baby boomers added the "Whole Earth" idea to the 'Hippy' movement with the 'Summer of Love' in 1967. Hippie or hipster was derived from the urban 'Beat' or 'Beatnik' movement of the 1950s, but went outdoors as it moved to the West Coast. Some hippies, like the 'Diggers'  got serious and went deep into a more radical ecological movement and communal living.  Unfortunately, a conservative backlash in the 1980's made real progress difficult and various administrations eroded the efforts of the 1960s. The Yuppies and New Age folks really did not want to give up modern technology. Some diehards that were made fun of as 'Tree Huggers' became increasingly radical and even violent. The negative repercussions and images were fueled by ultra conservatives that campaigned to hide data coming in pollution and global warming. The schism has become a  huge chasm and many serious scholars feel that the only hope we have lies with protection of the world's oceans. In the American West the repercussions of pollution, increased aridity and shortages of water are quite evident.

 

C. Hollywood and Vine

     From the 1920s to the present the corner of Hollywood and Vine and the adjacent Sunset Strip projects another exaggerated image of the West, California and Hollywood. These images usually mixed film stars, the rich and even characters of films. As the film industry shifted to the West Coast from New York the stars would come out to openings at Sid Grauman's Chinese Theatre and fans would pay homage to their favorite movie icon. Often the front of the theatre would be converted to a set for the current premier.On off days and nights tourists can still pay homage to the foot and handprints of celebrities in the sidewalk in front of the theatre and along both sides of Hollywood Blvd. Even Roy Roger's horse Trigger's hoof prints are there.

     Later, TV and the music industry came to town to added more glitz, billboards and advertisements to the area. Stars could be seen frequenting some of the raucous clubs especially on the Sunset Strip. In some cases protestors used the area to get media attention for their particular cause. Other venues like Disney's theatrical version of the Lion King are used to keep the attention to past films and promote new releases. The area is still a mecca for tourists and you can still get maps to find homes of the rich and famous (mostly in the past since many left town).

D. International Borders

     America has always been considered very open with its borders at times wanting immigrant labor and at other times under xenophobic and racist frenzies prohibiting specific groups. Many immigrants entered the US through New York's Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The West coast also was an entry point beyond the 1850s, with many coming into Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. In the early days from 1840 and on came across the Plains and over the mountains. first to the Willamette Valley in the Oregon Territory and later to California and New Mexico.

      In the 1800's the Gold Rush, railroad and farming drew 3 million Chinese workers from the Pacific Rim to enter the West Coast. Initially the Chinese went into the Gold Rush areas and later helped with the Western Pacific Railroad in the Sierras. The early Chinatowns were interior towns but once their labor was not needed prejudice and racist feelings caused a migration to the coastal cities. Eventually, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed. Japanese and Filipino workers came in between 1890 and 1900. Racist feelings reared again and the Oriental Exclusion Act of 1924 was passed.

     During the Depression of the 1930s,  a new group of immigrants poured in from the Dust Bowl disaster. With WWII, the draft, and Japanese Internment,  farm labor was desperately needed so the government established the Bracero Program of 1942 and invited Mexican workers. This program was shut down in 1964, but the economic benefits  fueled the continued demand for low cost labor..

     The Korean War, Vietnam War and end of the Cold War brought various waves of refuges and immigrants. The West Coast had more growing room and so many immigrants poured in. More recent conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia and the Middle East continue to bring more in. The Canadian Border, Mexican Border and the entire West Coast have been entry points of many diverse cultures. Certainly the growing pains and aridity are adding to problems in the American West. The need for water will probably exceed all others in the next 10 years.

E. Tourist Mecca

     As growth problems occurred more and more in the West, economic shifts have made tourism more popular in the West since the 1980s. The cost of housing has risen exponentially ...location, location, location. San Francisco/ Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle found that permanent movement West and tourism have pushed housing costs up, but also inflation, especially with fuel. Sleepy beach communities in California are turning into little Miami Beach skylines with condos, hotels and timeshares. Common patterns are such that Disneyland, Universal Studios, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon  make up a common itinerary. San Francisco and Yosemite or Seattle/Vancouver and Mt. Rainer/Banff  follow behind. Southwest ghost towns have become art colonies and Colorado ski resorts like Vail seem more like West LA's Rodeo Drive. National Parks are overwhelmed and the animals have to be protected from the people. Western urban pollution has spilled into the National Parks and Wilderness areas. I have 1971 photos of Yosemite NP in contrast  to 1985 and 1999 photos one can see the yellow pollution in the valley.

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Copyright © by S. J. Crouthamel 2013