Describe the myths and the realities of the American cowboy.
Modern society envisions a cowboy as a chic, rustic man on a horse riding into the sunset; yet, a true cowboy was a laborer. The work of a trail drive was arduous and temperamental. Fatigued and sullied from long days of riding, the men were faced with the grueling task of guiding the animals from sunrise to nightfall. They combated thick dust, wild animals, untamed land, unpredictable weather (including hail and blizzards), spring flooding, stampedes, and even cattle rustlers. To corral the herds of three thousand cattle to their destinations might require as many as twelve to fifteen laborers with 100 to 150 horses, a wrangler, a trail boss, and a cook with a chuck wagon for meals. The cowboys were as young as 13 and participated in the long drives for only a few years before the physical strain limited their involvement. Rank among the outfit was determined by a cowboy's position during the drive. The leaders in front of the herd were at the top of the hierarchy, followed by the outriders on the flanks. The drag men were the least favored and placed in the back to be inundated with the dust from the herd the entire day. The daily route was unpredictable, rough, and not at all like the romantic images of these trail hands embraced by society. .
The image that comes to the mind of most people when they envision the West in its historical splendor is the illustrious cowboy. "Given this idyllic view, the cowboy has become a symbol of the West. The admiration is not so much for real cowboys as for the cultural/mythical construct" people easily understand and accept. The authentic life of the cowboy differed drastically from this glorified image in stature, labor, demeanor, dress, and intrigue.
Despite the mythic image that captures the cowboy as an Anglo-American hero; white men were not the original cowboys.