Blood & Thunder: The Idealized American West and Its Place Today: Chatting with the Experts
Power of Archives and Cultural Memory Institutions
Just as there are two sides to every story, the history that we are taught does not often capture the full experiences of the given period. In order to fully appreciate American history, we must account for a true and honest telling of that history. Confronting and reinstating those challenging histories that are left out of the dominant historical narrative requires individuals to also challenge their very conception of what the United States stands for and reveal America for what she really is. She is a land of contradictions emanating from her stated ideals and unconscionable actions. Her history is complex and oftentimes ugly, but it is a history that must be confronted in order to break the cycle. But how can we do this? As Anthony W. Dunbar argues, we must “...move beyond the famous and well-documented cultural moments to include the daily-lived experiences and existence of underrepresented populations... Historical representation is a strong tool of control by dominant cultures and a consistent point of critique for counterstories.”1
It is a time for a critical look at our history and how we share that history, as it is only through these measures, that we can move towards an inclusive understanding of the actions of our nation as well as healing from those actions. To push back against the dominant historical narrative, we must discover the truth that counter-narratives provide, and it is here especially, that archives and other cultural memory institutions are one important piece in moving forward. This knowledge can be used as a tool for truth and reconciliation, especially when shared transparently and democratically through an openly accessible online tool.
1 Anthony W. Dunbar, “Introducing critical race theory to archival discourse: getting the conversation started,” Archival Science (2011) 11:25 46, p. 26
Where We Researched
Through ALA funding provided by the Carnegie Whitney Grant, we were able to visit institutions across the country dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the West. At each of these institutions we were lucky to work with amazing people who helped guide our research. We interviewed some of the folks we met, and clips from those interviews can be found on the tabs listed on this page.
- National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
- Lulu Zilinskas, Digital Archivist
- The Black Cowboy Museum, Rosenberg, TX
- Larry Callies, Museum Founder
- Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY
- Susan Fletcher, Housel Director of the McCracken Research Library
- Susan Barnett, Margaret and Dick Scarlett Curator of Western American Art for the Whitney Art Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum was founded in 1955 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is “America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture,” with dynamic exhibits and programming focused on preserving and sharing the history of the American West. Highlights from some of the themed galleries at The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum can be viewed here: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/collections/galleries/.
The Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center holds the Museum's archival and library collections. Lulu Zilinskas is the Digital Archivist at the Dickinson Research Center. Watch the video clips below to learn more about her work and the collections at the Dickinson Research Center.
Larry Callies founded The Black Cowboy Museum in 2017 in Rosenberg, Texas with the purpose of spreading the history of the Black cowboy to ensure that this history would not be forgotten. Larry and the museum are dedicated to preserving historical documents, memorabilia, artifacts, and pictures highlighting the rich history and stories of the Black cowboys of the West.
Larry's work with the museum has continued to grow and garner more attention and museum visitors. All you have to do is google "Larry Callies" and you will find numerous articles on him and the museum from The New York Times, Garden & Gun as well as an episode of Netflix's High on the Hog.
Below you can listen to clips from our interview with Larry to learn more about the museum, his experiences, and why this work is so important to him.
Also, check out his newly released book, Here Comes Cowboy Larry, "Stepping Out in Faith."
Here Comes Cowboy Larry, Stepping Out in Faith by ISBN: 1667838814Publication Date: 2022-05-12HERE COMES COWBOY LARRY, "STEPPING OUT IN FAITH," is the true-life story of Larry Callies who, as a young boy, had a dream of becoming a real-life cowboy. As he grew into adulthood, his journey took him down many steps of faith that he did not realize he had been walking for most of his life. His first steps of faith came in his fifth-grade class facing student ridicule and unjust criticism from his teacher; others came as he worked on a ranch and competed in his first rodeo bull ride; and a few other steps were made as he stood before a crowd for the first-time singing country western music in a GONG SHOW-type competition. These early steps of faith encouraged him to make even bolder ones as he pursued a singing career and began to realize his dream of becoming a real-life cowboy. Along life's trail, Larry eventually met the author and finisher of his faith. This meeting will prove very timely as Larry faces many hardships and challenges in becoming a real-life cowboy, but also, as a "Black cowboy!" "Typically former slaves or born into the families of former slaves, many black men had skills in cattle handling and headed West at the end of the Civil War. (2) Black men, typically former slaves, children of slaves, or working in plantations, and farms would have been exposed to kitchen work and stables as well. As early as 1770, regulations in Louisiana required two slaves to manage 100 head of cattle. (1) In Antebellum Texas, white ranchers referred to white workers as "cow hands", with Black people in the same position referred to with the pejorative "cow boy." (3)Prior to the abolition of slavery, the cattle trade was considered to offer a high degree of relative freedom to slaves, who would be issued guns, often left unaccompanied on horseback for long stretches, and trusted to return.(4) (Courtesy: BLACK COWBOYS. Wikipedia (article).
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a vast museum encompassing 300,000 square feet. Within its walls it houses five museums: Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Plains Indian Museum, and the Whitney Western Art Museum. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is also home to the McCracken Research Library, a special collections library that supports various aspects of each of the five museums located within the Buffalo Bill Center of the West as well as supports the research of outside scholars, the general public, students, and even filmmakers!
- You can learn more about the Museums here: https://centerofthewest.org/
- And if you’d like to view the types of items held in the McCracken Research Library, you can view their extensive holdings here: https://centerofthewest.org/research/mccracken-research-library/
Below you can find clips from our interview with Susan Fletcher, Housel Director at the McCracken Research Library where we discuss her role as the director, the McCracken Research Library’s collections and services, and her favorite item in the collection.
The Whitney Western Art Museum is located in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and contains a vast collection of both traditional western art, like Bierstadt’s The Last Buffalo, as well as contemporary pieces by artists like James Bama. There is even a recreation of Frederic Remington’s Studio within the art museum! In 2024, the Whitney Art Museum was voted the “Best Art Museum” by Newsweek. View the article here: https://www.newsweek.com/readerschoice/best-art-museum
Below you can find clips from our interview with Susan Barnett, the Margaret and Dick Scarlett Curator of Western American Art for the Whitney Western Art Museum. In our interview, we delve into questions about traditional and contemporary western art, the process of putting an exhibit together, and art as a primary document, among other topics.