Cowboy myth and reality

Cowboy Myth and Reality The myth of the American cowboys has remained prevalent over the years. Today they are still idolized in the American film industry and characterized as heroes by millions of people. The truth, nonetheless, is that most people only know the myth. The reality and the myth of the cowboy greatly differ. The origin of the cowboy myth can be traced to England. S.W. Scott, who was an Englishmen, that wrote about knights in shining armor. This was between 1810 and 1820. The knights were chivalrous and rode horses. They may have not carried revolvers, but they certainly were much like the cowboys we know today. Stories of heroism and bravery that characterized the cowboy were influenced by dime novels from the 1860s. These dime novels were formula written and popularized cowboys. In the 1860s, according to Alan Brinkley, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows invented the myth of a cowboy’s horsemanship, marksmanship, and the idea that they always fought Indians. The American cowboys aren’t even American, according to Dr. Pohlmann. In fact one seventh of all actual cowboys were black, and one seventh were Mexican. A lot of the cowboy is originated from the Mexican vaqueros. Cowboys are known for their rugged individualism, being tall, mature, and ladies men. What a cowboy’s job actually was was to drive a herd of cattle from a ranch to a train station. From the station they would be shipped to the cities for their beef. The drives were long and could not be done by simply one cowboy.
There were many and they worked as a team. It took 8-12 cowboys for a cattle herd of about 3000. The different jobs of the cowboys while on the drive were: drag, flank, swing, point and wrangler. The drive took about two to three months, and for that period they would see any women at all. Tall cowboys would mean more weight on the horses, and that exhaust the horses even faster. Most cowboys then, were small and of young age. Most became cowboys in there