OSHER 224 - Growing Up Western: Myths, Legends, and the American Dream

Growing up in the American West is an adventure steeped in mythology: the gilded lore of cowboys and Indians, the rugged individualist, tall in the saddle, taming the wilderness, prying a living from the land. That's the legacy. This is a study of conflict between that romantic notion and the practical outcomes of "settling" the region, of trying to come to terms with the iconic images that inspire us and the disquieting realizations that come our way. We look at both the legendary and the practical worlds of the Modern West, the real people and their fictional counterparts, the cowboys and Indians met along the way, living with the Blackfeet people, and buying movie star Gary Cooper's home. It is the story of a city boy finding his way in the contemporary West, presented via lecture and multi-media with discussion.