The Legacy of Wild Bill Hickok: Myth as Historical Model in the North American West

Just as perspective on the nation\u27s history must not be lost when studying a region, it is necessary to retain the perspective of seeing the West as a whole, even when studying a piece of it. Competing claims of fiction and history, especially primary sources will be considered to further this effort. The development of narrative formulas in the history of the West will be considered, and the predominance of these formulas will show why it is that the fiction of the West should be considered an acceptable source for the western historian. The patterns which can be observed in the plethora of stories made available by the study of myth can give insight into social attitudes and traditions. At the same time, the tales can make it clear that there are multiple versions of historical events