Introduction: A Century on the Trail

Abstract

The Edison Company made numerous one-minute documentary films about the American West during the last five years of the nineteenth century. A few, such as Cripple Creek Barroom in 1898, had rudimentary story elements (Jones). Almost everyone agrees, however, that die true beginning of Western movies occurred with William S. Porter's popular one reeler The Great Train Robbery, copyrighted in December 1903 (Buscombe 23). So, Pilgrim, light the candles on the cake. Put on your Sunday-go-to-meetin's. Make your spurs go jingle, jangle, jingle. And shoot them six-guns at the moon. It's the hundredth birthday of Western movies!