John Wayne was a very popular American icon that was best known for his roles as a cowboy. Hollywood gave a distorted view of the cowboy, presenting him as a hero, someone that always gets the girl, and a person respected by all. Unfortunately, many people think that this is what life in the “Wild West” was really like. This impression doesn’t compare to the actual tough life of a cowboy. Days full of wrangling cattle, living off the land, and hard physical labor were the realities of cowboy life.Cowboys left their families and friends behind in the East to make a new life for themselves in the Western frontier. Having to make a new “family” with fellow cowboys was part of the job. It would be difficult to not get lonely otherwise. They spent their days riding all over the ranch, roping horses and cattle, and butchering dinner. The “men of the West” cooked their meals out of a covered wagon. At times, there would be an unbroken horse that the cowboys had to train. Getting the horse to calm down and let a cowboy put a saddle on it was the difficult part. As shown in the picture above, horses really didn’t like strangers trying to ride them. Cowboys took the risk of being thrown from the horse along with the possible injuries that could occur. A horse was a very important companion while working on a ranch and having to travel immense distances on that land. Having to endure hot days in pants and long sleeve shirts while performing challenging work only added to the difficulties cowboys faced. Walking and riding on rocky terrain proved to be dangers that could lead to death if one should fall off a steep cliff. The day-to-day life of a cowboy was not clean, easy, or comfortable, but someone had to do it.
Hollywood has made numerous movies based on history and yet, are fiction. These movies are fun to watch, but aren’t the best source to learn history from. In movies, cowboys were tough men that drank and fought often. Showdowns were common in Western towns, as the two rivals would face each other and anticipate for the other man’s trigger to pull. Somehow, both men would still look groomed and clean even after they were supposed to be involved in a major fight. There was little blood, if any, during a showdown scene in a Western T.V. show or movie. The hero, usually the well paid, famous actor, always won and met the girl of his dreams. The couple seemed to be just meant for each other only after meeting a few days earlier. Celebrity movie stars didn’t have to exert themselves to herd cattle or eat outside under a tent. Whenever it got hot on the set, there was someone waiting to fan Mr. Wayne or give a bottle of water to Mr. Arness. This was definitely not the case on the ranches in Texas, Kansas, and Colorado. Life as a cowboy seems glamorous in films, but it is paramount to differentiate fact of fiction when watching old Westerns.
The historical fiction on T.V. shows about life in the West during the 1800s is not accurate to what real cowboys experienced. Cowboys were hardworking, resilient, and determined people that helped improve life in the last frontier. Although actual cowboys weren’t considered to be the heroes that movies portrayed them to be, they did help with the westward expansion of the United States. Hollywood’s interpretation of Western life differs greatly from the historic photographs of Erwin E. Smith.
Image Source: http://www.cartermuseum.org/collections/smith/collection.php?asn=LC-S59-018&mcat=9&scat=31
