How is the "Old West" often portrayed? (Consider the movie scenes from Tombstone?) What aspects of the West still linger in the USA today? Does Erie County have anything "western"?
The old west is often portrayed as a place where gunfights happen on the streets, the will of the outlaw is stronger than the will of the sherif, and people hide behind their doors when a gunfight happens on the street. Not only are these characteristics played out in the film Tombstone, but also in other great western films such as Silverado, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Also in western films another aspect is in the scenes where a gunfight is going to take place it is always very dusty and the houses always look very worn. This gives the movie a different "look"and "feel". As for the old west lingering today, obviously the landscape remains unchanged where there is no urban development. The architecture in some places remains as a ghost town. However shootouts between outlaws and sherifs do not happen in the middle of the street. The old west does survive simply through our imaginations. The old west survives in Erie at the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Ranch. I visited the ranch when I was younger, and the buffalo are a quality of the old west, and the owners of the Wooden Nickel try to create an old west atmosphere in their buildings. The old west will always remain alive everywhere as long as we have film and our imaginations.
I agree with Owen that the "Old West" will be with us long into the future! We can view old and new western films, buy cowboy and indian garmets, eat at west themed restaurants, and generally allow ourselves to celebrate this western element of our USA.
I believe that the “Old West” has a very distinct portrayal. Most western movies you see have old dirt roads, men always carried their guns around, and women almost always seemed pretty helpless. Unlike today, the “Old West” seemed to be a place where everyone knew everyone, sheriffs ran the towns, and cowboys were actual people, not just Halloween costumes. In movies, the west always seemed dusty, as Owen said, and the buildings always looked shabby. Gunfights were the normal way to settle disputes. Most of the aspects that movies play up are in contrast to the west today. The housing has improved there as well as in the rest of the country; gunfights are not nearly as common as they once were. Women have gained more respect and are no longer portrayed as “damsels in distress”. Despite these differences, you can still find some aspects of the “Old West” today, even in Erie. Unlike Owen, I have never been to the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Ranch. However there are a few restaurants and stores where you can find some western elements. Texas Longhorn Steakhouse, for example, has western decor. Although not everything that represented the “Old West” is still present today, there will always be reminders of this time.
The "Old West" is more of a movie scene than a time period as represented by today's culture. Filmmakers like to play up the idea that the "Old West" was exciting, thrilling, a place that kept you on your toes. I agree with previous peers' posts when they describe the "Old West" as looking dusty, rugged, worn down, and shabby. In some movie scenes, wind is also blowing across plains showing unsettled landscapes. The idea that the west was full of open land where the law was not always enforced is exampled in almost all western films. I disagree with Erin's statement that in the "Old West" everyone knew everyone. I feel as though this is untrue because the people settled far away from each other; land plots were large considering most settlers were cattle ranchers. A favorite movie series of mine, Love Comes Softly, is a great example of what we consider the "Old West". It shows neighbors not knowing who the other is, dusty roads, gunfights, unlawfulness, and the beauty of the land. Sometimes, when considering the "Old West", we forget the beauty of the unsettled landscapes. Today, the west is a different place. It is developed and industrialized just like the rest of the country. The west is no longer a separate territory; it is a prominent part in what makes up the United States today.
The "Old West" is still alive in Erie today. Restaurants like Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse are examples of the west in the fact that their decor represents the "Old West". WLD Ranch offers Western Riding lessons, and there are other horse lessons available to those in Erie, keeping the western tradition of horseback riding alive. New movies with the western theme are always coming out in theaters and then being released in rental places throughout Erie. Halloween costumes and clothing styles can also be found in Erie. The "Old West" is still alive today in history, as well as on the silver screen.
The "Old West" is portrayed as a dusty old town, where life seems barely sustainable. With almost villianously cruel sherrifs cracking down, on equally tough outlaws, who don't even seem to know the word law. It is a place where man power get's the job done, better than "white collars" delegating. To me it seems like the "Old West" is a type of stereotype for other countries, sometimes so prevalent that we start to believe it, you can tell this because a lot of times our actions reflect this, because we seem to act like international heroes or police.
Western aspects are still very present in todays society, and I think always will be. There is very basic reminders like restraunts such as Texas Road House, Cracker Barrel, Long Horn. To very "Old West" such as Rodeos, Cattle wrangling, horse back riding. Not to mention that are some states who still have a "Old West" appeal to them such as Texas, Alabama, or Louisana. So yes like many other of my classmates I agree that reminders of the "Old West" shall remain no matter how subtle.
OK West commentator, here is some feedback: notice how Jordyn references a movie (as do others) AND she gives a descriptive, detailed explanation connecting her movie example to the blog. Decide if you want to make additions to your post, or perhaps post elsewhere on other 1870-1920 blogs for maximum points. (Watch out for repetition too!!)
The “Old West” is almost always portrayed as a time of violence, excitement, and a time of triumphing over evil. When we think of the “Old West” we think of a town made up of wooden buildings, people riding on horses, and a cowboy walking into a tavern with two pistols in hand. We scarcely think about the majority of people living in the 1800’s who had a normal life, with a normal family and job. However, watching a family of the 1800’s go about their daily routines is not something that interests us. What interests us is a shootout between a sheriff and a cowboy, with a lot of gunfire and explosions. That is how the “Old West” is portrayed in our society today. Through movies, books, or theatre shows we are entertained by the excitement and unpredictable events that occurred between the cowboys and the law enforcement of the 1800’s. There are definitely still aspects of “The Old West” in our society today. For example, cowgirl boots are very popular among women now. Although today’s cowgirl boots are for style instead of a type of footwear used when riding a horse, cowgirl boots are in our society nonetheless. Another aspect of the “Old West” is bandanas. As we saw in the film, “Tombstone”, the cowboys wore red bandanas somewhere on their body. Today, bandanas are still very popular. Just last week, many students wore bandanas to school for “color wars” day. Also, bandanas are very popular among motorcycle riders and sports enthusiasts. As my classmates have previously mentioned, there are still aspects of the “Old West” in Erie. My classmates mentioned restaurants such as Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse. Both of these restaurants play “Old West” music, serve “Old West” food, and have “Old West” pictures, sculptures and decorations throughout the restaurant. This goes to show that the “Old West” is still a very prevalent factor in our society.
I know that "Little House on the Prairie" is quaint when compared with a cool shoot out/gunfight incident, but watching Little House, we get another in-depth look at the typical family who settled out west. Has anyone seen this show? Do you believe what is portrayed is realistic?
The old west is often portrayed as a place where gunfights happen on the streets, the will of the outlaw is stronger than the will of the sherif, and people hide behind their doors when a gunfight happens on the street. Not only are these characteristics played out in the film Tombstone, but also in other great western films such as Silverado, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Also in western films another aspect is in the scenes where a gunfight is going to take place it is always very dusty and the houses always look very worn. This gives the movie a different "look"and "feel".
ReplyDeleteAs for the old west lingering today, obviously the landscape remains unchanged where there is no urban development. The architecture in some places remains as a ghost town. However shootouts between outlaws and sherifs do not happen in the middle of the street. The old west does survive simply through our imaginations.
The old west survives in Erie at the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Ranch. I visited the ranch when I was younger, and the buffalo are a quality of the old west, and the owners of the Wooden Nickel try to create an old west atmosphere in their buildings.
The old west will always remain alive everywhere as long as we have film and our imaginations.
I agree with Owen that the "Old West" will be with us long into the future! We can view old and new western films, buy cowboy and indian garmets, eat at west themed restaurants, and generally allow ourselves to celebrate this western element of our USA.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the “Old West” has a very distinct portrayal. Most western movies you see have old dirt roads, men always carried their guns around, and women almost always seemed pretty helpless. Unlike today, the “Old West” seemed to be a place where everyone knew everyone, sheriffs ran the towns, and cowboys were actual people, not just Halloween costumes. In movies, the west always seemed dusty, as Owen said, and the buildings always looked shabby. Gunfights were the normal way to settle disputes. Most of the aspects that movies play up are in contrast to the west today. The housing has improved there as well as in the rest of the country; gunfights are not nearly as common as they once were. Women have gained more respect and are no longer portrayed as “damsels in distress”. Despite these differences, you can still find some aspects of the “Old West” today, even in Erie. Unlike Owen, I have never been to the Wooden Nickel Buffalo Ranch. However there are a few restaurants and stores where you can find some western elements. Texas Longhorn Steakhouse, for example, has western decor. Although not everything that represented the “Old West” is still present today, there will always be reminders of this time.
ReplyDeleteThe "Old West" is more of a movie scene than a time period as represented by today's culture. Filmmakers like to play up the idea that the "Old West" was exciting, thrilling, a place that kept you on your toes. I agree with previous peers' posts when they describe the "Old West" as looking dusty, rugged, worn down, and shabby. In some movie scenes, wind is also blowing across plains showing unsettled landscapes. The idea that the west was full of open land where the law was not always enforced is exampled in almost all western films. I disagree with Erin's statement that in the "Old West" everyone knew everyone. I feel as though this is untrue because the people settled far away from each other; land plots were large considering most settlers were cattle ranchers. A favorite movie series of mine, Love Comes Softly, is a great example of what we consider the "Old West". It shows neighbors not knowing who the other is, dusty roads, gunfights, unlawfulness, and the beauty of the land. Sometimes, when considering the "Old West", we forget the beauty of the unsettled landscapes. Today, the west is a different place. It is developed and industrialized just like the rest of the country. The west is no longer a separate territory; it is a prominent part in what makes up the United States today.
ReplyDeleteThe "Old West" is still alive in Erie today. Restaurants like Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse are examples of the west in the fact that their decor represents the "Old West". WLD Ranch offers Western Riding lessons, and there are other horse lessons available to those in Erie, keeping the western tradition of horseback riding alive. New movies with the western theme are always coming out in theaters and then being released in rental places throughout Erie. Halloween costumes and clothing styles can also be found in Erie. The "Old West" is still alive today in history, as well as on the silver screen.
The "Old West" is portrayed as a dusty old town, where life seems barely sustainable. With almost villianously cruel sherrifs cracking down, on equally tough outlaws, who don't even seem to know the word law. It is a place where man power get's the job done, better than "white collars" delegating. To me it seems like the "Old West" is a type of stereotype for other countries, sometimes so prevalent that we start to believe it, you can tell this because a lot of times our actions reflect this, because we seem to act like international heroes or police.
ReplyDeleteWestern aspects are still very present in todays society, and I think always will be. There is very basic reminders like restraunts such as Texas Road House, Cracker Barrel, Long Horn. To very "Old West" such as Rodeos, Cattle wrangling, horse back riding. Not to mention that are some states who still have a "Old West" appeal to them such as Texas, Alabama, or Louisana. So yes like many other of my classmates I agree that reminders of the "Old West" shall remain no matter how subtle.
OK West commentator, here is some feedback: notice how Jordyn references a movie (as do others) AND she gives a descriptive, detailed explanation connecting her movie example to the blog. Decide if you want to make additions to your post, or perhaps post elsewhere on other 1870-1920 blogs for maximum points. (Watch out for repetition too!!)
ReplyDeleteThe “Old West” is almost always portrayed as a time of violence, excitement, and a time of triumphing over evil. When we think of the “Old West” we think of a town made up of wooden buildings, people riding on horses, and a cowboy walking into a tavern with two pistols in hand. We scarcely think about the majority of people living in the 1800’s who had a normal life, with a normal family and job. However, watching a family of the 1800’s go about their daily routines is not something that interests us. What interests us is a shootout between a sheriff and a cowboy, with a lot of gunfire and explosions. That is how the “Old West” is portrayed in our society today. Through movies, books, or theatre shows we are entertained by the excitement and unpredictable events that occurred between the cowboys and the law enforcement of the 1800’s.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely still aspects of “The Old West” in our society today. For example, cowgirl boots are very popular among women now. Although today’s cowgirl boots are for style instead of a type of footwear used when riding a horse, cowgirl boots are in our society nonetheless. Another aspect of the “Old West” is bandanas. As we saw in the film, “Tombstone”, the cowboys wore red bandanas somewhere on their body. Today, bandanas are still very popular. Just last week, many students wore bandanas to school for “color wars” day. Also, bandanas are very popular among motorcycle riders and sports enthusiasts.
As my classmates have previously mentioned, there are still aspects of the “Old West” in Erie. My classmates mentioned restaurants such as Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse. Both of these restaurants play “Old West” music, serve “Old West” food, and have “Old West” pictures, sculptures and decorations throughout the restaurant. This goes to show that the “Old West” is still a very prevalent factor in our society.
I know that "Little House on the Prairie" is quaint when compared with a cool shoot out/gunfight incident, but watching Little House, we get another in-depth look at the typical family who settled out west. Has anyone seen this show? Do you believe what is portrayed is realistic?
ReplyDelete