11/01/2018
Panel Discussion: Gender and the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch
Laura Arata, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of History, Oklahoma State University.
“Whitewashing and White Hats: Creating the American Cowboy”
Men who worked with cattle had existed for hundreds of years before artists like Charles Russell and showmen like William Frederick Cody popularized the idea of the “cowboy” in the late 19th century. Drawing on heroic ideals, popular imagery of the cowboy quickly transformed the occupation from one of hard, dirty labor often performed by racial minorities to a romanticized ideal. Within just a few decades, cowboys became a distinctly American version of knights in shining armor, rescuing communities and damsels in distress at least as often as wayward cattle. By the time Hollywood gave cowboys white hats to distinguish the good guys for silent film audiences in the early 20th century, popular lore had been so thoroughly whitewashed that it seemed cowboys had always been white, masculine, romantic heroes.
Johanna Blume, M.A. Associate Curator of Western Art, Eiteljorg Museum.
“Lilian Smith and the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show”
Lillian Smith performed as a sharpshooter with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show under the pseudonym Princess Wenona. Like other women performers in Wild West Shows, Smith had to navigate complex social and cultural expectations of femininity, in a traditionally masculine sphere. Her experiences in the public eye were further complicated by the Native identity she adopted as part of her stage persona.
Tracey Hanshew, Ph.D. Clinical Assistant Professor of History, Washington State University.
“Wear a Bigger Bow: Working Cowgirls Accentuating Femininity in their Masculine Work”
The dime novel image of hyper-masculine men of the 19th century American West lured Anglo-Americans into territories poised to have opportunities for one to reclaim manhood. Yet on ranches where labor assignments were nongender specific, men’s work was taken up by capable women. A regional hegemonic femininity was created in the image of the cowgirl who juxtaposed her masculine occupation with feminine costume to place women in this unique role into the public arena.
