logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
38m 55s

The Real Wild West

History Hit
About this episode

Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, John Wayne. We've seen them roping and wrangling and defeating their enemies, all by the time the credits role.


But what was the role of cowboys in the real wild west? What was the role of black men in this industry? And how have they been erased in popular culture?


In this episode, Don speaks first with Roger Hardaway, professor of history at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Roger has written and researched extensively on the American West, and is the co-editor of African Americans on the Western Frontier.


Don is then joined by Tony Warner, founder of Black History Walks and co-founder of the African Odysseys programme, to talk about how the inclusion of black people on the screen has evolved.


Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code AMERICANHISTORY. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe


You can take part in our listener survey here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 29
The Jersey Devil Uncovered
Have you ever heard of the Jersey Devil? A creature with bat-like wings, horse's hooves and hellish horns that stalks the New Jersey Pine Barrens, terrorising humans and killing livestock.According to legend, one cold New Jersey night in 1735, a woman in labour with her 13th chil ... Show More
48m 24s
Oct 26
Salem Witch Trials
It all started with two young girls and three accused women. It ended with more than 200 accused, 20 executed and the name Salem forever connected with another word: witch.Don is joined by Professor Mikki Brock from Washington and Lee University to find out what really happened i ... Show More
53m 37s
Oct 22
Takeover of Alcatraz Island
In November 1969 a group of Native American activists, protesting against centuries of forced relocation, broken treaties and the erosion of tribal sovereignty, launched a daring operation to take over the old prison on the Island of Alcatraz. Over the following nineteen month, i ... Show More
1h 11m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
42. The Wild West
Podcasting’s answer to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - that’s Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook of course - explore the Wild West in both fact and fiction. Does the romantic representation in both fiction and film bear any resemblance to the historical truth? And why are we ... Show More
50m 50s
May 2024
#144 The Wild West
📖 Episode Transcripts in Link Below ⬇️ Today, we will travel back to the fascinating era of the Wild West, a time characterized by adventure, pioneering spirit and conflict. https://patreon.com/HistoryinSlowGerman?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creato ... Show More
4m 11s
Jul 2024
164. How the West was Won: The Truth Behind the Westerns
A whole genre of movies is based on a relatively short period of nineteenth-century American history. But what is the real story behind battles between Native Americans and white settlers during westward expansion? In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, settlers flooded to ... Show More
49m 56s
Jun 2023
Yee-Haw! The hidden history of Black cowboys
Head down to the ranch with Joy and co-host Aaliyah as they share the stories of three incredible Black cowboys. These cowboys tamed wild horses, arrested bandits and became legends in their own time! The stories of Black people in the Wild West have often been erased from histor ... Show More
34m 29s
Apr 2023
The Wild West
Think of the Wild West, and you’ll imagine cowboys, shootouts, bank robberies and saloons. But it was also a time of massive resettlement, new technology and communications. But what the white settlers’ westward migration mean for the native people who had lived on the land for c ... Show More
52m 11s
Feb 2018
The Wild West Was Actually Pretty Chill
<p>If you're like most people, the phrase ''Wild West'' conjures images of brutal gunfights in dusty, tumbleweed-ridden streets, visions of criminals slinking into the shadows of dimly-lit saloons and the vast stretch of lawless, unforgiving frontier. But how much of that image i ... Show More
31m 49s
May 2024
CLASSIC: The Wild West Was Actually Pretty Chill
If you're like most people, the phrase "Wild West" conjures images of brutal gunfights in dusty, tumbleweed-ridden streets, visions of criminals slinking into the shadows of dimly-lit saloons and the vast stretch of lawless, unforgiving frontier. But how much of that image is act ... Show More
33m 39s
Sep 2021
Introducing: Wild Wild West
In this special collection of Parcast episodes, we’re revisiting the lore and tackling the tallest of tales from an era that’s endlessly mythologized in American pop culture — the Wild West. From bloody feuds to gunslinging bandits, unsolved murders to centuries-old mysteries, sa ... Show More
15m 54s