Wild West on Film – Actual Footage of Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill
The American west is one of those periods that tends to produce some bold images. Corrupt cattle ranchers, lightning fast shoot outs and outlaws spring to mind – or at least, they spring to my mind when I think about this period. Maybe it was the sheer number of westerns haunting the television (particularly on Sundays) when I was younger or the sight of my grandfather whose every trip to the library, it seemed, resulted in a new western thriller appearing in his house. Whatever the cause, the American west is one of those periods that seems to have a vibrancy all of its own whenever I – and many others, I suspect – think about. Still, for all this few of us have had the chance to actually see this period, as it actually was, on film. To this end I have created a new video, The Old West on Film, which you can view bellow. Filmed by legendary inventor Thomas Edison, this video features footage of Annie Oakley showing off her skills with a repeater rifle, a bucking bronco display (note the man firing a pistol into the ground in order to rile the bull) and a parade of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show from the turn of the twentieth century.
I hope you enjoy this rare glimpse back at the American West’s twilight years. Also, look out for Buffalo Bill in the last section of the video – he can be seen raising his hat to the crowd but you will need to keep a sharp eye out to see him:
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