The Importance of the Imagined West in American Cultural History
Introduction:
The understanding of the regional history of the American West encompasses both historic fact as well as an imagined story. This history is fraught with tension between truth and myth. No other region in American history has had such a dramatic impact on the retelling of its own history. The West is truly a place where the lines of fact and fiction have been blurred by its own inhabitants as well as by those entities that reside outside of the region. This region’s history is also unique in that it seems to be moving backwards in time. The concept of the “Old West” is seen as a timeless and unchanging place, ridden with images of pioneers, mountain men, cowboys and Indians. In the mid 1980’s, however, the concept of the “New West” was born out of this fictitious understanding of the region’s history. The New Western historians began to debunk many of predominate themes that encompassed western history. They discussed and debated the reality of such concepts as individualism and autonomy in this region. However, as historians continually fought to expose the West as it truly was, the images of “spaghetti westerns,” Clint Eastwood, vast open horizons and blue skies lingered in the public’s mind. Although the arguments of “New Western” historians have produced a wealth of knowledge based in truth, the mythic West continues to be an important part of the American story. Through thorough analysis of primary documents from travelers and inhabitants of the West from the 19th and early 20th centuries it will become evident that inhabitants of the region were equally responsible for the creation of the myth and the false representation of the West. By looking at these first hand experiences thematically, the sources will prove that Westerns aided in the development of the Imagined West in an attempt to amplify and validate their experiences in the region and to firmly establish their place in history.
Section 1: The Experiences and Adventures of Westerners with Native Tribes and Their Impact on the Mythic West.
- Westerners experienced difficulties with Native Tribes throughout Western American History. The way these events have been remembered, however, support the idea that westerners’ collective memory supported and influenced the nation’s understanding of the Imagined West.
a) The Homestead Act – legislation that encouraged and institutionalized settlement in the West. Created guidelines that homesteaders needed to follow in order to “improve their land” and create a successful economic entity (usually agriculturally based, but also included ranching) This source is essential to setting up historical context and to explain one of the reasons that travelers decide to move West.
- Citation: Department of the Interior, Homestead Act of 1862. Statues at Large p.392-1443, 37th Cong., 2d sess., 1862.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=012/llsl012.db&recNum=423
b) Poster of Miss Olive Oatman, a “distinguished lady” captured by “savage Apaches” emphasizes the horrid experiences of being captured, but is displayed as part of a presentation aimed at a public audience. People had to pay to listen to the adventures of Miss Olive, downplaying the truthfulness of the experience in order to turn a profit. Her experiences are depicted in such a way as to provide an aspect of entertainment while amplifying the heroism and bravery of her experience as it fits within the paradigm of the mythic West. Illustrates how westerns impacted and influenced their own sense of a false reality.
- Citation: Stratton, Rev. P. B. Five Years Among Wild Savages: The renowned Apache captive Miss Olive Oatman. Toledo, Ohio: Blade Print 1859. The Newbury Library, Chicago.
c) Newspaper article attempting to change the minds of the American Public about the false representation of Indian peoples. Author argues that they are indeed a civil people who are well versed in arts and literature and who want to continue to acquire knowledge. This article would not have been written had the concept of the mythic west not be so boldly planted in the minds of the American public.
- Citation: John Beeson, “To The American People” Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, Jan. 12, 1874. The Newberry Library, Chicago.
- By looking at these two pieces of evidence it is obvious that the presentation of grand adventures and encounters with Indians did impact the nation’s understanding of the mythic west. It reinforced the paradigm that there was a mythic and factual West. The newspaper article will then be introduced to illustrate an attempt to dissuade the public opinion.
- To refer to thesis – emphasize that the effort of western people to knowingly present their experiences in a way that bolstered their bravery/courage etc. against native people for the benefit of solidifying their place within the false representation of the region.
Section 2: The expansion of Railroads and their impact on the perceived image of the West.
- Railroad enthusiast made significant claims that the West was a wide and open territory inhabited by no one. Maps of this region and time period reflect this understanding.
a) Map of Railroad – this primary source depicts the rail line for the Pacific Railroad from the 1860s and is void of an Indian presence. Maps of this type would have been used to encourage emigration to the West.
- Citation: “Map Of The Pacific Railroad” Autographed Manuscript Journal, v. 4, 1866-1875. The Newberry Library, Chicago.
b) Map of Native Tribes in the West – This map from the 1810s depict an image of a vast western region as it has already been claimed by Native Tribes.
- Citation: “Map of the country inhabited by the Western Tribes of Indians,” 1809. The Newberry Library, Chicago.
- By juxtaposing these two images it is obvious that there has been a shift in the way the West was being viewed. Over the course of fifty years overland travelers came to understand the West in very different ways. Travelers and emigrant Americans perceived the West in the early 1800s as a region inhabited by “savage Indians,” resulting in a common fear of the region. Within five decades, however, that understanding had changed in part due to the genius of railroad entrepreneurs. By publishing railroad maps that depicted railroad depots, but were void of an Indian presence, railroad tycoons heightened the sense of safety and security in the region, thus encouraging emigration from the East into the West. This, however, was a false representation of the region. Native tribes in the 1860s continued to inhabit the western lands and they interacted (both aggressively and passively) with the newly arriving emigrants. These railroad maps, designed by western inhabitants, illustrate that Westerns had a hand in describing this region as a calm and serene place, and mythic land, when in reality it was far from perfect.
- To refer to thesis: Easterner’s use of the railroads validated the success of railroad tycoons thus encouraging more false claims which only heightened the mythic appeal of the region.
Section 3: The Early Western Entertainers: The importance of historical figures and their alter egos in creating the Mythic West.
- Certain Western figured created a name for themselves in the public’s mind through their unrealistic actions. In most cases this inflation of fact was done either by the figure or by the surrounding Western community. In some cases, inhabitants of the West continued to make outrageous claims about these figures even after their death. It was this inflation of fact by the Western communities that added to the larger-than-life image of many western outlaw and criminals. These falsified stories play into the general acceptance and admiration of these historic players.
a) The life of Jesse James is remembered in terms of the “Wild West.” Primary source documents, written by James undermine his national and mythic image.
- Citation: Applar, Augustus, C. The Guerillas of the West or the Life, Character and Daring Exploits of the Younger Brothers. St Louis, Eureka Publishing Company, 1876.
b) Rare book highlighting the mythic interpretation of such westerners as Buffalo Bill, Will Bill Cody and mythicizing other events and adventures. Over 250 pages of inflated fact.
- Citation: Triplett, Frank, Col. Conquering the Wilderness: A New Pictorial History of the Heroes and Heroines of America.” New York: N.D. Thompson Company, 1883.
c) Experiences of Calamity Jane – written in first person, emphasizing the adventurous nature of the West and her place in it.
- Citation: Calamity, Jane. Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane. 1896.
- By looking at the factual evidence written by such western figures as Jesse James and comparing those with myth and story about their life as understood by Western Americans, this evidence will illustrate how the nation wanted to embrace criminals as national heroes.
- To refer to thesis: evidence indicates a desire to create a façade for these criminals. Means of justifying their devastating actions – seen as strong and important people for the West. Reiterate for some cases how these figures amplified their own history and impact on the nation. Acknowledge that some figures tried to prevent this, but their success was limited, therefore proving how strong their mythical images were.
Conclusion:
While the history of the American West is vast and all encompassing, there is a distinction between fact and fiction. By acknowledging that this split is consistent throughout the written record of the time it is apparent that the Mythic West is equally, if not more important to understanding the history of that place and time. The primary sources that have survived from the 1800s illustrate that inhabitants of the West were eager to help shape the legacy of their homelands. Westerners inflated fact and exaggerated truth in an attempt to validate their own existence while at the same time creating an essential narrative of the American Story.
Annotated Bibliography
Athearn, Robert. The Mythic West in Twentieth Century America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1986.
This book will be used in order to look at the West as a geographic region as a whole and examine the environmental history of the West. This source will also be used to examine the responses of Easterners to the presentation of the Mythic West.
Limerick, Patricia, Nelson. The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past Of The American West. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1987.
This book also works to provide historical context. It will be used to explain the dichotomy of the West and help support the concept of the Imagined West. This book will help with the organization of my paper as well, seeing as it discusses the experiences and history of a multitude of people, such as homesteaders, miners, women, etc. Having a solid source that can provide factual evidence will help structure this paper so that the mythic understanding of events will be compared to highly respectable and accurate accounts.
Savage, William, Jr. The Cowboy Hero: His Image in American History and Culture. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979.
This source will help establish the paradox between the truthful image of the cowboy and the mythic image. This will help set up a framework for talking about other western “heroes” or historic figures. (used especially for section 3).
White, Richard. “It’s Your Misfortune and None of my Own:” A New History of the American West. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991.
This book gives a general overview of Western American History. While the book is broad in scope, it is also riddled with specific details and events. This source would be helpful in writing this research paper since it could be used to set the historical context, but this book also has an entire chapter discussing the concept of the “Imagined West.” This source would be used to define the term and explain the concept.
Reflection on Assignment
I found this assignment to be daunting at first look, however, over the course of finding a research topic, finding a database that contained digitalized primary documents and then putting together an argument, I realized a lot about how technology in the modern world both helps and hinders the ability to do history.
After a primary Google search, I came across a database of purely digitized primary documents from the Everett D. Graff Collection at the Newberry Library in Chicago.( http://www.americanwest.amdigital.co.uk.libproxy.boisestate.edu/Index.aspx) This collection of documents is expansive, yet the database is extremely well organized. It made doing research incredibly easier. Having documents categorized by theme, but also being able to do simple word searches of the entire database offered two distinct ways to look at and think about these documents. There is, however, a downside to their particular type of organization. I was forced to interpret these documents through the eyes the Newberry Library Archivists simply because I was looking at the sources as they believed they should be sorted and arranged.
As I discovered maps, letters, pamphlets and rare books regarding Western American history I was shocked at the availability of these treasures. In this sense, I found the database profoundly useful. As I examined the documents, however, I quickly noticed a limitation and frustration with the sources. Handwriting is also an issue for historians. With digital sources you have to compete with the swirly writing, but you also are faced with the image quality of the screen, which in turn impacting the displayed document. Poor screen quality affects your ability to read primary source documents. As you zoom in on the document the image becomes distorted thus further hindering the readability of a source. Using a paper source and an old fashioned magnifying glass would have made reading hand written letters much easier. Also, as a lover of history I missed the “old book smell” that is associated with doing archival research. Without that physical connection to the sources it seemed to undermine the importance of the documents.
Dealing with digital primary sources has both advantages and disadvantages, however, I believe that the advantages greatly out weight any of the disadvantages. Based on this assignment I have realized that working in the digital realm will take some getting used to.