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This talk by Lee Silliman will vividly sketch, using vintage artworks and photographs, the story of the American cowboy on the western frontier. It will complement his exhibit on display entitled “Hurrah for the Cowboy: Men of the Open Range.” The lecture begins with a discussion of the Hispanic roots to cowboy culture which developed over several centuries in Spanish and Mexican territory. The talk then relates how the post-Civil War expansion of Texas cattle lead to the cattle trail drives which sent millions of longhorns northward to the central and northern Great Plains states. Next is a section detailing the rough cowboy life on the big ranches and during their annual roundups. The talk concludes with reasons why the free range and big outfits met great challenges in the troubling times of the 1880s. The talk will be lavishly illustrated with painting by Charlie Russell and Edward Borein, plus other contemporary artists of that period. After the lecture Silliman will conduct an informal tour of the historical images in the exhibit. A selection of books telling the history of the frontier cowboy era will be on display for inspection, and a bibliography sheet will be available for take-home distribution for later reading.
Lee Silliman, a retired educator and former museum archivist now living in Missoula, Montana, has nurtured an avid interest in the art and history of the American West since his youth. As a collector of vintage engravings and historical books, Silliman has assembled and annotated many exhibits of these artworks for museums in six western states. His has taught five courses for the MOLLI program at the University of Montana on western history and art.
This is a FREE event and open to the public.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
900 W 2nd St, Gillette, WY, United States, Wyoming 82716
