Carter Roy

We're here with a new episode every Wednesday.

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Our sources for today's episode include a bunch of declassified files, as well as Annie Jacobson's book, Phenomena, The Secret History of the U.S.

Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis.

Until next time, remember, the truth isn't always the best story.

And the official story isn't always the truth.

This episode was written and researched by Mickey Taylor, edited by Justin Sales, fact-checked by Sophie Kemp, and engineered, video edited, and sound designed by Alex Button.

I'm your host, Carter Roy.

Ah, America's Wild West, filled with outlaws, rootin' tootin' cowboys, lone gunslingers, and sunset showdowns.

Tumbleweeds blew, boots kicked up dust, shadows told time, and danger lurked around every saloon door.

It's a bygone era that feels straight out of the movies, mostly because it is.

Yes, the iconic American Wild West is by and large an invention of Hollywood.

And the mythos first started with pulpy dime novels, then moved to traveling shows until it eventually made its way onto the silver screen.

The truth is the real Wild West wasn't so wild, and it was much more diverse.

About 25% of all cowboys were black.

Not to mention Mexican cowboys or vaqueros were essential to developing the ranching industry in California and Texas.

As for all those gunfights, many frontier towns actually banned firearms entirely.

You couldn't legally carry guns in public.

Some towns, though, like Palisade, Nevada, reportedly used Hollywood's myths to their advantage.