Westward Expansion

As men and women traveled west to settle America's untamed lands, and tried to strike it rich in gold, they led a simple existence, often carrying the barest necessities from one location to another. Yet they also carried with them their own popular culture, through folk songs, legends, and literature, that has often been mythologized into our present American popular culture. Through primary sources such as letters, diaries, and photographs, the author draws parallels and makes distinctions between the pioneers and cowboys of the past and those of today. Students and fans of the Old West will find this volume a rich source of history for this time period.

Many images and items in today's popular culture were born in the time of westward expansion. Log cabins, cowboys such as the Marlboro Man and Woody of ^I Toy Story^R fame, and Levi's jeans, all have their roots in the Old West. Outlaws such as Wild Bill Hikock, Billy the Kid, and Jesse James, and good guys such as Davy Crockett, continue to fascinate students and western enthusiasts. Traveling entertainments, mail-order houses, and patent medicines, although no longer popular in today's society, tell us much about the nomadic existence of families during this time. With a timeline and a list of everyday products and their prices during the time period, this volume will be an invaluable resource to students and historians tracing the roots of American popular culture.

General and undergraduate collections.Choice

The contribution of this work is its focus on popular culture in a particular time and place, allowing more description and exploration of the persistence and pervasive nature of the West in contemporary American culture....The survey nature of the work invites reader participation and makes it a fine resource for instruction, research, ahd discussion. Its reference value is enhanced by the extensive notes and bibliography. The work is recommended for high school, public, and academic libraries.Reference &User Services Quarterly

...a good starting point for students ready to move beyond encyclopedias and other general research tools.School Library Journal

As men and women traveled west to settle America's untamed lands, they led a simple existence, often carrying the barest necessities from one location to another. Yet they also carried with them their own popular culture in the form of folk songs, legends, and literature, which has often been mythologized into our present American popular culture. Through primary sources such as letters, diaries, and photographs, the author draws parallels and makes distinctions between the pioneers and cowboys of the past and those of today. Students and fans of the Old West will find this volume a rich source of history for this time period.

America's Old West: its own popular culture, and its representation in today's culture.

America's Old West: its own popular culture, and its representation in today's culture.
...a good starting point for students ready to move beyond encyclopedias and other general research tools.School Library Journal

SARA E. QUAY is Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Endicott College.

Introduction

Timeline of Popular Culture

Everyday America

World of Youth

Advertising

Architecture

Fashion

Food

Leisure Activities

Literature

Music

Performing Arts

Travel

Visual Arts

Cost of Products

Further Reading

Index