Cattle Towns (Atheneum Paperbacks; 166)

History

Dykstra, Robert R.

Americas

Atheneum

Dodge City and the Birth of the Wild West

Raised on Gunsmoke, Bat Masterson, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, we know what it means to “get outta Dodge”—to make a hasty escape from a dangerous place, like the Dodge City of Wild West lore. But why, of all the notorious, violent cities of old, did Dodge win this distinction? And what does this tenacious cultural metaphor have to do with the real Dodge City? In a book as much about the making of cultural myths as it is about Dodge City itself, authors Robert Dykstra and Jo Ann Manfra take us back into the history of Dodge to trace the growth of the city and its legend side-by-side. An exploration of murder statistics, court cases, and contemporary accounts reveals the historical Dodge to be neither as violent nor as lawless as legend has it—but every bit as intriguing. In a style that captures the charm and chicanery of storytelling in the Old West, Dodge City and the Birth of the Wild West finds a culprit in a local attorney, Harry Gryden, who fed sensational accounts to the national media during the so-called “Dodge City War” of 1883. Once launched, the legend leads the authors through the cultural landscape of twentieth-century America, as Dodge City became a useful metaphor in more and more television series and movies. Meanwhile, back in the actual Dodge, struggling on a lost frontier, a mirror image of the mythical city began to emerge, as residents increasingly embraced tourism as an economic necessity. Dodge City and the Birth of the Wild West maps a metaphor for belligerent individualism and social freedom through the cultural imagination, from a historical starting point to its mythical reflection. In this, the book restores both the reality of Dodge and its legend to their rightful place in the continuum of American culture.

Manfra, JoAnn

University Press of Kansas

"Excellent . . . readable and persuasive. . . . One of the most refreshing and rewarding approaches to be applied to western history topics in many years."-American Historical Review

The Cattle Towns

Bison Books

Tells the story of the transformation of the state of Utah from the most racist free state in the antebellum Union to one of the country's most racially progressive states by the end of the 19th century. Traces changing attitudes toward black equality through the workings of the judiciary, the legislature, and citizen efforts, and looks at the role of key figures from various states and European immigrants. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Bright Radical Star: Black Freedom and White Supremacy on the Hawkeye Frontier

Iowa State Pr

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Books by Dykstra, Robert R.