A Western Perspective: Why Do We Western? March 3rd, 2025

At three years old I was introduced to the Western through watching John Wayne in Randy Rides Alone and then right after Angel and the Badman. My grandpa, who showed me these, had no idea that this simple action of sharing these with me would create an obsession with not only the Western genre but with American West history as well! 

The Western has been now a part of my life for thirty three years and with all the people I have met that shares that passion, I was struck with a question, "Why do we western?"

It sounds like a very simple question and one that I could easily answer. I was actually asked on a third date what drew me to the Western and once I started speaking, I realized that my answers were coming up kind of hollow in the sense that I could not cover in depth what I felt towards the genre and history. I can be sitting on a bench in an old mining town in Colorado, the smell of rain and camp fire on the air, watching the pine trees sway back and forth and feel myself transported one hundred plus years ago. I can imagine those who have been long gone while being in an old pioneer cemetery and imagining the lives they had. Explaining that to someone who might not fully understand, will look at me like I am crazy. 

I then explained my love for the Western through the lens of story with movies, TV shows, books and song. How strong characters reflect the real people who made the West their home. How they fought the elements, animals and each other to hold onto their land, possessions, dignity and lives. How the landscape is just as much as a character as the figures in the story.

The west was so vast and expansive and represented a promise land to some and at the same time was a sacred place worth dying for. Clash of cultures that at times were peaceful but a lot of the times it was filled with horrific violence. The blood that has soaked into the ground might have a historical monument commemorating the lives lost there and giving the people of today a chance to remember and reflect. Some places however have a shopping mall or parking lot over them and the sacrifices made on that same spot are lost to the pages of history or known by very few. 

The answer to me as to "why we western" Is not something that can be easily explained and the reason for that is because there is so much to the why. Maybe it is enjoying an old movie with legendary actors on the screen. Hollywood gunfights in a dusty town and romantic kisses all embraced by the landscape of desert, plains and mountains. Maybe it is getting transported to the West through a book and letting your imagination set the stage. Visiting historical sites and the majestic terrain. Eating biscuits and gravy to wash down with some cowboy coffee or drinking a cold sarsaparilla while walking down the boardwalk of an old ghost town. Wearing cowboy hats and boots every chance you get. 

Why we western can literally have thousands of reasons why. It is also very unique to each person. It can be the representation of freedom or the stance of bravery that draws us in or also the realistic view of how hard life can be but we can stand strong to face it like those from the past did. It is a way to remember those before us and the sacrifices they made in search for a better life or those who stood to defend their home and loved ones. The west is a place that we can celebrate cultures and people. From a deeper understanding of life to a friendly wave passing by vehicle to vehicle on an old dirt road. 

So for whatever your reason is to western, we are truly blessed to have this sacred history and genre that we can claim as our own and continue to write, read, eat, drink,dance, sing, talk, explore, ride, and enjoy our western heritage. So keep Westering on 🤠