The Romance of the Southwest The Southwest is a region known for the unique cultures that it holds. Some may describe it as majestic place with such beautiful historic buildings and cultures. This is just one way to describe this region of world. Early tourism has had such a dramatic outcome for the region. It has become a romantic place for people to settle and to just visit for the weekend. The Southwest has a sense of excitement that comes from within the land, culture, and the people that live there. The history that surrounds the Southwest is not only what you can read in books, there is cultural history that is passed down by mouth and through cultural wardrobes, jewelry, blankets, and other cultural items. In Tourists and Indians in Fred Harvey’s Southwest by Leah Dilworth it states that Fred Harvey Company and AT&SF had created touristic desires of the Southwest, with much focus on the Indians. In the mid 1890’s they began to buy and sell Indian items and designing buildings and hotels with the attractiveness and appeal of the Indian artifacts to bring in the tourism. Both of these companies have used the Indians to enhance the Southwest’s appeal and it worked. When people hear the Southwest the first thing that comes to mind are the Native Americans and their culture that has influenced the region. Tourism in the Southwest has grown greatly since it first appealed to the outside world. The Pueblo people in New Mexico saw numerous amounts of foreigners in their area during the last few years of the nineteenth century. This was also around the time that the U.S. government had taken away the Native people’s water and land, as well as tries to dismantle their economic and cultural dominance that they had (Martinez, 40)... ... middle of paper ... ... they see their ancestry and culture that has been around for centuries. The Southwest is home to many different people and cultures. It has a simple beauty to it and maybe that is what makes people from around the world fall in love with the Southwest. Works Cited Blackdom. 2010. Educational Film. 2). Dilworth, Leah. "Tourists and Indians in Fred Harvey's Southwest." Ed. David M. Wrobel and Partick T. Long. Being Seen Tourism in the American West. Kansas: Univerisity of Kansas, n.d. 142-64. Print. 3). Martinez, Matthew J., and Particia C. Albers. "Imaging and Imagining Pueblo in Northern New Mexcio Tourism." The Framed World: Tourism, Tourists and Photography. By Mike Robinson and David Picard. Farnham, England: Ashgate Pub., 2009. 39-62. Print. 4). Matton, Doug. "A City Different Kind of Chip." The Santa Fe New Mexican [Santa Fe] 7 Nov. 2003: A-1+. Print.
When we see Texas, we remember today mainly for its BBQ, Football and Black Gold, Texas tea. However, there is much more than just the usual itineraries that we find in most other states as well. Molly Ivins in her essay “Is Texas America” categorically states that, “Here's the deal on Texas. It's big. So big there's about five distinct and different places here, separated from one another geologically, topographically, botanically, ethnically, culturally and climatically” (Ivins). This is a true belief from Molly Ivins of how huge Texas was and how the demographics changed in each geographical location in Texas. The population of Texas and the demographics are two essential factors that include many important parameters in deciding the history of any state. The presence of many ethnic groups further adds to the diversification of
The American West was the land of opportunity for many groups of people from 1865 to 1890. For farmers and ranchers, the American west was a land of opportunity due to low cost of land as a result of the Homestead Act and the a chance for Americans, including immigrants and blacks, to achieve the American dream and make a profit by growing crops such as cotton for the thriving textile industry and raising cattle for the upcoming cattle industry. For the miners, the American West was seen as an opportunity to get rich through the gold and silver rush and was even popular in other parts of the world where immigrants responded to the rush as well; although most were not successful. The America West offered opportunities for Americans, both rich and poor, to establish a new life and achieve economic independence.
Mexican culture is perhaps the largest influence on the state of Arizona, affecting the cuisine of Arizona quite heavily. Mexican food is widely popular in Arizona, meaning that there are plenty of local Mexican restaurants, each giving a unique experience. Mexican culture also has strong ties to the history of Arizona, as it was once territory belonging to Mexico. Mexicans who inhabited the region over a century ago fought with tribes native to the land in order to wrest control from them. However, war erupted with America on April 25, 1846. The war, now known as the Mexican-American War, resulted in the Mexican Cession. The Cession effectively indoctrinated the states of California, Nevada, most of Arizona, and various sections of other current day states. The war’s start can be contributed to many things, one such reason being the acceptance of Texas as a recognized state by the U.S. This created a great deal of tension with Mexico, as Texas was once their territory, until Mexicans and Americans overthrew the governor of the region and appointed their own leader, Samuel Houston. Houston then brought Texas in as a state to the U.S. in order to assuage any aggressive acts by Mexico. However, tensions soon flared when several small incidents along the border of Mexico and Texas lead to the war. Many politicians in the northern states opposed the war, claiming that it was an attempt of the southern slave owners to gain influence in the new territory. While most of the territory of Arizona was obtained by the end of the war, it was the Gadsden Purchase that attained the rest of the state, along with the southwesternmost part of modern day New Mexico. The purchase gets it’s name from the United States ambassador to Mexico, James Gadsden, who signed the treaty approving the purchase of the territory in the year 1853, not all too long after the
Every one of the chapters in Momaday’s, The Way to Rainy Mountain, mentions how important it is to listen to the traditional stories to understand the land. One key story of how the people of Rainy Mountain inherited the land states, "Her [Aho] forebears came down from the high country in western Montana nearly three centuries ago. They were a mountain people, a mysterious tribe of hunters whose language has never been positively classified in any major group. In the late seventeenth century they began a long migration to the south and east"(6). This quote is also an example of how long American tourist attractions have been around and how they have become a part of people’s everyday life over time.
Southwest Airlines roots can be traced back to Texas in the 1960’s where a company by the name of Air Southwest Co. was created to provide interstate flights in Texas to avoid federal aviation laws. This technique of trying to avoid federal regulation was challenged when 3 other major airlines filed a lawsuit against Air Southwest Co.; later the state of Texas upheld Air Southwest Co. right to fly within the state of Texas and the Supreme Court decided not to review the case. (Southwest Airlines, n.d.) This was a challenging start for Southwest as it was being targeted right off the bat by some of its competitors. The company name was changed in the early 1970’s to Southwest Airlines Co. and a headquarters was established in Dallas, TX. The company’s main focus was interstate flights between the 3 major cities in Texas including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. (Southwest Airlines, n.d.)
Colorado was viewed as a place to visit and live in because of the climate, scenery, and promise of good health to its people (Abbott, Leonard, Noel, 2013, pp. 227). Tourism in Colorado has evolved immensely and has helped form Colorado into what it is today. Before anyone could realize Colorado’s potential as being an iconic tourist place, in the 1860s, journalist began to view Colorado differently. They began to notice Colorado’s scenery and they slowly recognized Colorado’s potential for evolution and development through tourists and travelers (Abbott, Leonard, Noel, 2013, pp. 223). Many people sought good health while they were sick and since the journalists really started to see the value of Colorado, they really made its climate stand out and become more appealing to those who were sick, mentioning the great benefits the climate would have on poor health. One-third of the state’s population consisted of people that were once sick (Abbott, Leonard, Noel, 2013, pp.229).
Over the years, the idea of the western frontier of American history has been unjustly and falsely romanticized by the movie, novel, and television industries. People now believe the west to have been populated by gun-slinging cowboys wearing ten gallon hats who rode off on capricious, idealistic adventures. Not only is this perception of the west far from the truth, but no mention of the atrocities of Indian massacre, avarice, and ill-advised, often deceptive, government programs is even present in the average citizen’s understanding of the frontier. This misunderstanding of the west is epitomized by the statement, “Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis was as real as the myth of the west. The development of the west was, in fact, A Century of Dishonor.” The frontier thesis, which Turner proposed in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition, viewed the frontier as the sole preserver of the American psyche of democracy and republicanism by compelling Americans to conquer and to settle new areas. This thesis gives a somewhat quixotic explanation of expansion, as opposed to Helen Hunt Jackson’s book, A Century of Dishonor, which truly portrays the settlement of the west as a pattern of cruelty and conceit. Thus, the frontier thesis, offered first in The Significance of the Frontier in American History, is, in fact, false, like the myth of the west. Many historians, however, have attempted to debunk the mythology of the west. Specifically, these historians have refuted the common beliefs that cattle ranging was accepted as legal by the government, that the said business was profitable, that cattle herders were completely independent from any outside influence, and that anyone could become a cattle herder.
Stepping off the greyhound at the town of Valle Rosario, Chihuahua is a huge culture shock, almost as if someone were to have stepped back in time. The difference compared to the United States is undeniable. The movement is significantly slower and gives tourist the ability to take in the great scenery. The slower paced environment gives them the ability to really take in the strong smell of the freshly rained grass, gravel roads, fresh water lake, and the scenery of the simple but beautiful architecture.
When Spaniards colonized California, they invaded the native Indians with foreign worldviews, weapons, and diseases. The distinct regional culture that resulted from this union in turn found itself invaded by Anglo-Americans with their peculiar social, legal, and economic ideals. Claiming that differences among these cultures could not be reconciled, Douglas Monroy traces the historical interaction among them in Thrown Among Strangers: The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California. Beginning with the missions and ending in the late 1800s, he employs relations of production and labor demands as a framework to explain the domination of some groups and the decay of others and concludes with the notion that ?California would have been, and would be today, a different place indeed if people had done more of their own work.?(276) While this supposition may be true, its economic determinism undermines other important factors on which he eloquently elaborates, such as religion and law. Ironically, in his description of native Californian culture, Monroy becomes victim of the same creation of the ?other? for which he chastises Spanish and Anglo cultures. His unconvincing arguments about Indian life and his reductive adherence to labor analysis ultimately detract from his work; however, he successfully provokes the reader to explore the complexities and contradictions of a particular historical era.
While the far-away North American tribes were having their land taken away, and being harassed by white American expansionists, they also faced another threat: Spanish occupation. During the early-1500’s, many Spanish explorers and conquistadors, such as Cabeza de Vaca, wished to find gold and riches and, in the process, they harassed, oppressed, tortured, and spread deadly diseases to the Native tribes. They often used the excuse of racial class-separation, known as “castas,” to justify their rotten, atrocious crimes. Throughout the 1600’s and 1700’s, the focus of the Spanish explorers experienced a shift from conquistadors wishing to acquire gold and wealth to Catholic missionaries wishing to religiously convert the Native tribes and, as a result, they built up many churches on the land. As one might guess, the
Texas has a rich and long history and much of it has passed through the state over the years to become a part of its folklore. This Texas folklore is part of many cultures within the state and has even filtered outside the state. The first cultural influence on Texas was from the Paleo-American Indians. When these Indians arrived they were in a bit of a culture shock when they met the Spanish in the 16th century. In the following centuries, more people began to arrive in Texas and they brought new ways of talking, believing and doing things. The Spanish and the Mexican set the patterns south of Nueces and along the Rio Grande. Anglos brought their ways of life from the British Isles to the South and Eastern part of Texas. African Americans who came to work on the plantations on the Brazos and Trinity bottoms brought songs, stories and beliefs that came with them from Africa. Germans came directly from the Old World to the Hill Country, Cajuns came from France and eventually through Louisiana and settled in Southeast Texas. The Dutch, Danes, Polish, Czechs, Norwegians who also came here brought with them their ways of life and they all became bound together to become part of Texas. By the year 2000, Texas was made up of 54.5% Anglos, 31% Hispanic, 11.4% African Americans and another 3.1% of other ethnicities.
Gathering men from Southwest states like Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas was
The cowboys of the frontier have long captured the imagination of the American public. Americans, faced with the reality of an increasingly industrialized society, love the image of a man living out in the wilderness fending for himself against the dangers of the unknown. By the end of the 19th century there were few renegade Indians left in the country and the vast expanse of open land to the west of the Mississippi was rapidly filling with settlers.
When you love the Desert Southwest, sometime, somewhere, you will stumble into the writings of Ed Abbey. Like me, Ed was not born there; he discovered his love of the place while riding a boxcar through it on a trip across the US; I discovered mine on a trip through myself. His writings helped lead me home, for that is what the desert southwest is to me: home. I don’t live there for one simple reason, i.e., I have not yet been able to put myself in the financial situation I need to be in. For now, I visit when I can, mostly during my long vacations at Christmas.
Early on the American government dressed up the culture and opportunities that lay in the West to get more westward expansion. The tr...