#317 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday April 5)
Good morning,
What was called “the Western Expansion” in schools is not only a story of the displacement of Native Americans, nor is it the story of the conflicts with Mexico, culminating in the Bear Flag Revolt, Texan Independence and the ceding of land by Mexico, nor is it the story of the Earps and Doc Holliday. The story of the western expansion is the story of the movement of peoples. This movement was not strictly a land rush or a gold rush. Its earliest incarnations were the fur trappers and explorers. And while some, like Cortez, sought gold, others like Merriweather Lewis and William Clark were explorers and scientists.
Eventually, moving West became the goal of many seeking opportunity. The vast majority of the people settling the west were the poor, those who could not succeed in the east and many of those were recent immigrants from Europe. With some notable exceptions, the Indians were not delighted with the incursions of the Europeans and, similarly, the Europeans/Americans saw the Native Americans as primitive nomads to be forcibly relocated from desirable lands.
THE WEST IN CINEMA
Who of a certain age doesn’t remember Bonanza, Wagon Train, the Rifleman, Cimmaron Strip, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, or The Big Valley on TV and the endless diet of Westerns in the movies? The West has symbolized so much in the mind and spirit of this country, digested weekly on TV. The West has offered a palette upon which myriad stories have been told. At first, Westerns were celebrations of grit, determination and the advance of civilization. But they also told stories that really had nothing to do with the West. The “one man against the world” mantra was seen in Shane, High Noon, The Outlaw Josie Wales and other classics. The idea of a bunch of heroes “banding together to root out evil” plays out in The Magnificent Seven, The Wild Bunch, Unforgiven, and Silverado.
Eventually, the movement West was seen through a far more nuanced lens. We have come a long way from the Westerns of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. It was in later films of John Ford (The Searchers), Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch) Robert Altmann (McCabe and Mrs. Miller) and others that we see begin to see a revisionist history that tended to focus on the moral ambiguity of the Western experience, the lawlessness, and inhumanity—including violence committed by those empowered with upholding the law. Tombstone, Unforgiven, Butch Cassidy, Dances With Wolves, and other notable films showed a different West than the textbooks, forcing us to think of the West not only in complex ways, but also as a reflection of our own times.
THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE
Andrea and I have been watching 1883, the “prequel” to Yellowstone. But make no mistake; this is a prequel only insofar as ancient Rome is a prequel for modern-day Italy. Yellowstone is a good show (though its storyline sometimes more than stretches credulity). 1883, on the other hand, attempts to be a reasonable depiction of a wagon train making its way from Fort Worth along the Oregon Trail, hoping to reach Oregon (although, obviously, some end up in Montana). It stars Sam Elliott (the Stranger in The Big Lebowski), Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
Anybody who wants to get a gritty, realistic, unvarnished view of hard-nosed Union officers leading a band of largely German, Slavic and Romany immigrants, this is for you. It’s 10 episodes and brilliant. The ride may have its beautiful vistas, camaraderie, and a sense of purpose, but it is a lesson in insurmountable odds, death, personal stories of valor, and privation.
TRAVELING DISTANCES IN THE WEST
Not all travel was from east to west. Some was north to south, particularly the cattle drives. There are two films that depict cattle drives the best:
The first is the remarkable Lonesome Dove, adapting the Larry McMurtry novel. With Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall as Woodrow Call and Gus McCrae, they also head from Texas to Montana in the waning days of the cattle drives.
Another is the film The Cowboys. John Wayne, taking a gang of boys to bring his cattle to market after his gang leaves to search for gold.
POWER OF THE DOG
This isn’t one about movements west. This is an extraordinary movie that plumbs the depths of multiple personalities and repressed emotions. It is not an accident that this film received many accolades.
VISITING THE OREGON TRAIL
One can see some of the sights along the Oregon Trail—a large portion of the Duttons’ journey in 1883—from the comfort of one’s own car and with decent walking shoes. We did it on our Sonnenberg family driving trips. Read about that next week…
Have a great day,
Glenn
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