Can we talk?

American Western Studies

         I'd like to study Western folklore, as in American Wild West and balance it with actual history. The West kept changing its Eastern boundary. At one time, everything west of the Blue Ridge Mountains was The West. Illinois became The West for a while. When I researched my family tree, some of my ancestors left to "Go West" and settled in Illinois, some in Tennessee.

         As the 1800's rolled on, more pioneers settled in the area we wouldn't dare call The West today. It was a rough way to live. Different dreams and schemes collided. We stopped having cattle drives once the railroads were easily available.The period of cowboys and round-ups was relatively short. The westerns we see on TV reruns and movies picture a very short time in our history. Sometimes the facts and the time-lines in these fictional pieces are all mixed up.

         I won't find a course like that in my state, where that kind of stuff is just fluff. It really isn't. I imagine there are some historians in Western colleges who offer some on-line courses. I just haven't found them yet. I'd like to see how statehood, history of all areas, and cowboys, trappers, farmers, and so forth all fit together.

         This is on my long-term to do list. And if a chart isn't readily available, I want to make one. For instance, in 1880, Wyoming did this, Texas did this, Washington DC did this, New York City, San Francisco, etc., for style, food, history, inventions. And to keep it in perspective, point out other world events, like Bhutan, England, France, World Fairs. I guess it would have to start with Lewis and Clark.