American frontier
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
The American Old West comprises the history, myths, legends, stories, beliefs and cultural meanings that collected around the Western United States in the 19th century. Most often the term refers to the late 19th century, between the American Civil War and the 1890 closing of the frontier. Terms Old West and Wild West relate to life beyond the frontier. While this terminology could logically place the setting as far back as the American colonial period, the area from the "Frontier Strip" (i.e., the six U.S. states from North Dakota south to Texas) west to the Pacific Ocean is usually meant. Sometimes the tier of states just east of the Frontier strip (Minnesota to Louisiana) are also seen as the "Wild West" because of their stance as passing gates.
As the setting for numerous works of fiction, the period and region quickly became so popular that it now has its own genre, called "Western."
Historical revisionism has noted that certain interests (notably cowboys, Indians, businessmen, and the United States government) repeatedly clashed in these conflicts, and a few accounts refer to them as a "western civil war of incorporation" that established United States authority over the region. Violent small scale range wars between settlers, such as the Pleasant Valley War, Lincoln County War, and Johnson County Range War appear to have been common. Accounts of corrupt and criminalised justice systems are also common.
See also
- General
- Cowboy action shooting is a competitive shooting sport which originated in the early 1980s that requires shooters to compete using firearms typical of the mid-to-late 19th century including single action revolvers, lever action rifles (chambered in pistol calibers) and side by side double barrel shotguns or pump action shotguns with external hammers.
- Cowboy hat
- Boss of the plains
- Historical reenactment : an activity in which participants recreate some aspects of a historical event or period.
- National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum : museum and art gallery, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, housing one of the largest collections in the world of Western, American cowboy, American rodeo, and American Indian art, artifacts, and archival materials.
- Reno Gang : Southern Indiana post civil war gang. First Train Robbers in US History. 10 members lynched by vigilante mob in 1868.
- Rodeo : demonstration of cattle wrangling skills.
- The Oregon-California Trails Association preserves, protects and shares the histories of emigrants who followed these trails westward.
- Wanted poster : a poster, popular in mythic scenes of the west, let the public know of criminals whom authorities wish to apprehend.
- Wild West Shows : a following of the wild west shows of the American frontier.
- The West As America
- People
- List of American Old West outlaws : list of known outlaws and gunfighters of the American frontier popularly known as the "Wild West".
- Big Nose George
- List of cowboys and cowgirls
- Schoolmarm : A female teacher that usually works in a one-room schoolhouse
- List of Western lawmen : list of notable law enforcement officials of the American frontier. They occupied positions as sheriff, marshal, Texas Rangers, and others.
- Gunfighter
- Category:Gunmen of the American Old West
- Category:Lawmen of the American Old West
- Category:Outlaws of the American Old West
- Fiction
- Chris Enss : author of historical nonfiction that documents the forgotten women of the Old West.
- Zane Grey : author of many popular novels on the Old West
- Karl May : best selling German writer of all time, noted chiefly for wild west books set in the American West.
- Winnetou : American-Indian hero of several novels written by Karl May.
- Aces & Eights: Shattered Frontier : an Award-winning alternate history western roleplaying gaming.
- Deadlands : an alternate history western horror roleplaying game.
- Dust Devils : a western roleplaying game modeled after Clint Eastwood films and similar darker Westerns.
- List of Western computer and video games: a list of computer and video games patterned after Westerns.
