THE GOLDEN WEST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 December 1939, Page 11

THE GOLDEN WEST

; INSPIRATION TO FICTION I WRITERS. MANY INTERESTING FACTS. Writers of fiction and motion picture producers are among the greatest benefactors of mankind. Those dealing with historical events have done a great deal to bring to life characters and episodes which would otherwise have remained unnoticed by the majority. Catering for the taste of a multitude is, however, no easy matter. For this reason writers and producers allow themselves the right to discard certain facts while they exaggerate those which provide popular interest and excitement so necessary to the world of today. For many years the picturesque cowboy of the "wild and woolly West" proved to be a great source of inspiration. Stories based on his life and character penetrated to the smallest villages and gave life to a typo which the average person could never hope to meet. In presenting him to the public full use was made of glamorous situations, and his characteristics were exaggerated to provide thrills and action. Consequently the American cowboy is eyed from a fictitious angle, and it is forgotten that he, like all pioneers, forged his way in the face of many obstacles. Now that his popularity is on the wane and few people willingly turn to the Golden West for entertainment, it becomes interesting to learn the facts as presented by those who have done research along these lines.

INVASION OF MEXICO. In 1519 Mexico was invaded by Spaniards who , when they settled there, brought with them 15 military chargers and a handful of long-horned Andalusian cattle. These were destined to fill Mexican plains and the west of America with thousands of thundering hoofs. With the advance of years these settlers increased in numbers and gradually moved northwards with their ever-multiplying herds. After three hundred years the Rio Grande had been crossed and they were established as ranchmen in portions of pre-sent-day Texas. For many years these Mexican settlers were the sole representatives of the cowboy, and the American West did not as yet exist. In 1821. however, pioneers of Scottish, English, and American birth arrived in their midst, and, while they adopted the Mexican vocation, they also introduced their own ideas which were based on finer breeding and culture. Trained in stock farming, they ranched more scientifically and less cruelly and turned their thoughts towards marketing facilities. They realised that their only hope lay towards the Mississippi, but here they were up against many .problems. No railways existed, and although cattle could be driven over large areas the type of intervening country was barren of feed and infested with hostile Indians. It was only years later when events in the United States worked towards the suppression of the Indians and when railroads were established that the American cowboy as such came into being. ORIGIN OF “COWBOY.” The term “cowboy” originated from ••cow-puncher,” which applied to one who herded cattle. “Puncher” referred to the metal-pointed stick used to goad reluctant cattle on their way. An employee was known as a "cow-puncher.” but as soon as he owned his own ranch his title changed. If he bred cattle he became a “cattleman,” and if he concentrated on horses he was a “horse-man.”

The cowboys’ life was fraught with so many dangers that his gun became his greatest friend, but he used it only when necessary. If he could avoid carrying it he did so—this for a very good reason. Ho believed in the speed and accuracy of the long-barrelled pistol known as the "Colt” and scorned the townsman’s lighter weapons. The Colt weighed two and a-quarter pounds apart from ammunition, and it is thus evident that no man would be willing continually to burden himself with a gun. to say nothing of a few. When he; was on service near the border and visited areas where Indians lurked or wild beasts preyed, or when conditions caused him to fear or to pursue a personal enemy, he made full use of his gun.

The easy and rapid shooters existed among the so-called “bad-men,” who possessed little character and were so deranged by excessive drinking that they never scrupled to kill for personal gain, or in anger to satisfy the lust for blood.

FORMATION OF CHARACTER. Surroundings go a long way towards the formation of character. People who dwell in places where nature is gentle and beautiful readily become artistic or poetical. Those, like the cowboy, who are forced to eke out an existence while confronted by hardships and with few kindly gifts from Nature, find little time for sentiment. However, no man, unless he has grown entirely bestial, has a make-up without any traits of kindliness. . The cowboy, in spite of his rough exterior, could on occasions be deeply touched. His kindly qualities are mostly visible in his love for horses and his respect for I women in general. Travelling over vast and lonely areas where nothing but rugged mountains, canyons, deserts, and quicksands met the eye made the cowboy's horse his greatest friend and the recipient of many of his confidences. Numerous stories of horses exist in cowboy circles and they were frequently related with greater tenderness than one would expect from hardened men. Epitaphs in the form of rudely inscribed boards and stones mark many a horsey grave in lhe West. They stand out as proof of cowboy sentiment.