How the Far West Built Its Legends

And there is no better time to bring together these two aspects than the Far West, where hyperbole and boasting had a prime place. Whether they were heroes or outlaws, the great figures of the Wild West all had a certain flair for publicity and knew how to stage themselves to make an impression.

Of all, Buffalo Bill was undoubtedly the most gifted. After starting his career by paying dime novel authors to make him the hero of their stories, Bill soon created a traveling show, "Buffalo Bill's Wild West", in which he presented his alleged exploits - and those of his friends - on stage for an urban audience fascinated by these tales of pioneers braving all dangers in the conquest of the West. Continuing to work for the army between tours, Buffalo is said to have once donned his stage costume before going into battle! What was little more than a skirmish with a band of Cheyenne scouts became in his show a resounding victory against a great war chief.

The outlaws were not left out. Jesse James thus forged a legend of the "Robin Hood of the Far West" without ever sharing his money with anyone! The journalist John Newman Edwards, who shared the pro-Confederate sentiments of the outlaw, gave him the ideal platform to defend the actions of his gang by blaming the Civil War, which the Confederates had just lost, for the despair of these outlaws. Not only did he publish letters Jesse James sent him after each train attack or bank robbery, but Edwards also published numerous articles defending the bandit, with evocative titles such as "The Chivalry of Crime."

Being an outlaw in the Far West was a dangerous occupation, but being a woman in the Far West was even more so. Some women, however, saw the opportunity to carve their own path, far from the conventions of the time. One of them, Martha Jane Canary, quickly became known throughout the United States as Calamity Jane (and like any good publicist, she invented the origin of her nickname herself). "The Life and Adventures of Calamity Jane," her seven-page autobiography, recounted her eventful life mixing facts with pure inventions in a natural and raw style that was very successful. As historian Linda Jucovy notes, "the details of her exploits were rarely truthful, but no one cared. What mattered was the story." In the vein of Buffalo Bill, Calamity traveled the country telling her life story in various shows, and her autobiography was the perfect souvenir for spectators (as well as a handy cheat sheet when Calamity had had a bit too much to drink before going on stage).

A good story as an effective means to convey the authentic experience of an era while making the facts more entertaining…

The very purpose of an immersive historical experience!

The storytellers of the Far West thus give us a great opportunity, leaving us all the ingredients to create an unforgettable show, and the chance to reveal the hidden side of their legends. We look forward to sharing them with you!