The Myth of the West

Overview

The final episode focuses on the death of the frontier, the myth making that created the legends we all know and love, and the people who were written out of the history of the West. Using Buffalo Bill's rise and fall as an example, Tony looks at how a generation of Western pioneers had the skill and vision to create their own legends and invent stories which - thanks to Hollywood - have become ingrained in our collective psyches. He also looks at the remarkable story of Geronimo and the way in which Buffalo Bill's Wild West show fixed our opinion of the Indians. Finally, Tony finds out how the West was whitened by learning about the story of black cowboys and the part they played in the cattle drives from the South.