The reality of the myths revealed

 

The Big Wide West myths of cowboys, cattle and stampedes, Indians, six-guns, outlaws, the small town sheriff and his posse (heading the rustlers off at Big Rock Gulch) were very much created by Hollywood and decades before that with stories in newspapers and popular fiction. All that remains, as they always have, are huge open spaces of prairies and mountains set in stunning landscapes. Joan Myers wanted to find and photograph the people who still live in these out of the way places in the Rocky Mountain and Plains states.

So many of these interesting photos reveal that the locals still rely on the myths to earn a living. Many pictures show amateur lettering to attract the tourists and paintings on large signs or walls of cowboys, cattle, Indians, the empty landscape maybe with a buffalo or two. Wigwams pop up here and there as shops or campgrounds, abandoned gas stations and trading posts litter the wide open spaces to confirm that away from cities and suburbs life isn't easy for the locals. To make the point Myers has ended the book with three photos of Helena and Livingston, Montana and Wendover, Nevada, all large towns with their commercial strips full of slick professional signage and no derelict buildings.

I enjoyed Myers contemporary view of the New West, she has an eye for capturing a scene with plenty of visual detail that makes the 102 photos well worth repeat viewing. Damiani did their usual excellent print job (in Italy during July this year) with a two hundred screen on a silky matt art paper.