Heroic Cowboy vs. Reality

The realities of the Western Cowboy were greatly different than the heroic image of them. Historically speaking, cowboys were dirty, lowly paid and under educated ranch hands who had no life outside of the ranch. But, they're position in society was vastly blown out of proportion, it was almost as if the old lives of them had been forgotten, even though they still existed. They were made to seem like awesome people who saved the day and didn't care about the law or rules, when in actuality they were far from it.

In movies and pictures the portrayal of the Cowboy seemed to be the same each time; the hero. It was always set in the "Wild, Wild West" where only saloons and tumble weeds existed. The scene would always begin in a bar and then trouble would come to the bar. A gun was their primary weapon and they always had just enough bullets to win the shoot out, which was also in every movie. The mythological Cowboy was created so that Americans could see what life was like in the West, without having to go there. However, these movies and pictures increased tourism to the area because people wanted to be a part of the action.

While the American cowboy was a significant figure in the idealization of history, it is even still the same way today. Many movies like the one above, Cowboys and Aliens, still depict the West as a place that is full of action. When in reality the West was a lot better than some cowboy. It was a vast region full of many different climates and geography. Many people from distant countries came to the West for prosperity, and to get the freedom that all wanted. Almost 90% of the California population in 1890 was Chinese. While this brought many diverse people to the area, almost all the whites did not like them being in their area. Many laws and regulations such as the Chinese Exclusion Acts made it impossible for Chinese to become citizens, whether they were born or emigrated over. The West was also known for its gold mines, sandy coasts and warm, climate. The Plains Indians were the very first settlers in the region and they taught the newcomers many ways to survive; building houses and using buffalo's for every daily life skill. The buffalo was a huge part of the West.