Strange Ranchfellows

Sure, the taming of the West was filled with bloody shootouts, senseless massacres and tragic mass exoduses. But as illustrated in Western Style: A Convergence of Cultures, an exhibit at the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, 987½ Lookout Mountain Road in Golden, it also entailed a fascinating intermingling of Indian,...

By Joel Warner

February 22, 2007

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Sure, the taming of the West was filled with bloody shootouts, senseless massacres and tragic mass exoduses. But as illustrated in Western Style: A Convergence of Cultures, an exhibit at the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, 987½ Lookout Mountain Road in Golden, it also entailed a fascinating intermingling of Indian, Hispanic and Anglo cultures — not to mention some pretty nifty duds. "People often look at the conflict in the West; it was also this peaceful convergence of culture," says museum director Steve Friesen. "We are trying to explore how each of these cultures borrowed from and influenced each other."

You can see for yourself at the exhibit, which traces cross-cultural stylings from late-nineteenth-century Navajo necklaces influenced by Hispanic silverworking techniques to contemporary sneakers bedecked in Indian beads — a technique that's destined to be appropriated by Nike. Museum tickets cost $3 for adults; for more information call 303-526-0744 or go to www.buffalobill.org.
Oct. 14-Sept. 14, 2007

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Joel Warner is a former staff writer for Westword and International Business Times. He's also written for WIRED, Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, Popular Science, Slate, Grantland and many other publications. He's co-author of the 2014 book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, published by Simon & Schuster.

Contact: Joel Warner