1

Paul Bunyan

Image: Abby Savage

Paul Bunyan , the colossal lumberjack of American folklore, is said to have cleared forests from the Northeast to the Pacific Northwest. With his blue ox, Babe , he performed incredible feats of strength, like carving out the Grand Canyon just by dragging his axe behind him, and creating the Great Lakes with his footprints.

Originating in oral traditions among lumberjacks, Bunyan’s exaggerated exploits gained momentum with the American westward expansion during the 19th century and soon became deeply ingrained in the popular imagination.

2

Johnny Appleseed

Image: Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Born John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed wandered the American frontier planting apple trees and spreading goodwill in the early 19th century. A devout Christian, he became a folk hero for his kindness, environmentalism, and pioneering spirit.

Contrary to the popular image of Johnny Appleseed randomly scattering apple seeds, he was a skilled nurseryman who meticulously planted apple tree nurseries. Each nursery was carefully fenced to shield the saplings from livestock and wildlife. After establishing these nurseries, he entrusted them to neighbors but revisited them periodically.

3

Pecos Bill

Image: JosephHershMedia

Pecos Bill , a fictional cowboy raised by coyotes in the wilds of Texas, became a larger-than-life figure known for taming cyclones and roping tornadoes. His adventures, first popularized in the early 20th century, embody the frontier spirit and Texas mythology, blending humor with tales of rugged individualism.

Among his many tales, one credits him with creating the Gulf of Mexico . According to legend, during a severe drought in Texas, Pecos Bill lassoed a storm cloud in California and brought it to Texas. The resulting deluge caused extensive flooding, ultimately forming the Gulf.

4

Davy Crockett

Image: Joseph Corl

Davy Crockett , known as the "King of the Wild Frontier," was a real-life frontiersman later turned politician whose exploits were mythologized even during his lifetime. Born in East Tennessee, he quickly gained fame for his sharp hunting skills and captivating storytelling.

During his time in the U.S. Congress, he staunchly opposed many of President Andrew Jackson’s policies, particularly the Indian Removal Act, and championed the rights of small landowners. Crockett’s life ended with valor at the Battle of the Alamo , solidifying his folk legend as a symbol of courage and patriotism. His legacy remains an enduring part of American history.

5

Calamity Jane

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Martha Jane Canary, better known by her alias Calamity Jane, was a frontierswoman and scout famed for her sharpshooting skills and daredevil exploits. During her youth, she stepped up to provide for her large family, taking on various jobs, from ox team driver to scout for Fort Russell. Eventually, she embraced the rough and adventurous lifestyle that made her a legend.

Despite her fearsome reputation, Calamity Jane was compassionate and often helped those in need. Her adventures in the Wild West alongside figures like Wild Bill Hickok cemented her status as a legend of the American frontier.

6

Molly Pitcher

Image: Garry T

Molly Pitcher, the nickname given to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, became famous for her bravery during the American Revolutionary War. Although several historical figures are known by this moniker for similar deeds, Mary Ludwig Hays distinguished herself during the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, where she served as a water carrier for the soldiers.

When her husband, an artilleryman in the Continental Army, fell to enemy fire, she took his place, swabbing and loading the cannon with such bravery and determination that she earned a commendation from George Washington.

7

Daniel Boone

Image: Scott Longerbeam

Daniel Boone was a legendary frontiersman and explorer who blazed trails through the Appalachian Mountains and into Kentucky. Born in 1734, Boone became famous for his expert hunting and survival skills, as well as his role in establishing the Wilderness Road, a trail that facilitated westward migration through the Cumberland Gap.

After serving as a militia officer during the Revolutionary War, he was briefly taken in by the Shawnees in the Northeastern Woodlands. After a few years, he returned and continued to help protect the Kentucky settlements.

8

Buffalo Bill

Image: Judy Beth Morris

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a legendary figure of the American West, known for his Wild West shows that toured the United States and Europe. Born in 1846, Cody was a skilled buffalo hunter, Army scout, and showman who brought cowboy skills and frontier life to audiences worldwide.

He earned his nickname after the Civil War by providing Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat, hunting record numbers of the animal. He even engaged in hunting competitions with his partner, Bill Comstock. His legendary figure has been frequently portrayed in film and television, especially during the height of the Western genre in the 1960s.

9

Wild Bill Hickok

Image: Pablò

James Butler Hickok, famously known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a legendary figure of the American Old West. Born in 1837, Hickok gained fame as a skilled marksman, gambler, and lawman.

Though his exploits were certainly exaggerated by the outlandish tales he told about himself, he was involved in several notorious gunfights during his life. Most notably, he dueled with Davis Tutt, a local gambler with whom he had various disagreements, particularly over their mutual affection for the same woman.

10

John Henry

Image: Lucio Patone

John Henry was a legendary steel-driving man whose man-against-machine tale epitomized the strength and resilience of the American worker. An African American freedman, his dangerous job involved hammering steel drills into rocks to create holes for explosives used to blast open railroad tunnels.

According to the legend, John Henry's prowess was tested in a race against a steam-powered drill. He won the race but tragically died after victory, hammer in hand when his heart gave out from the immense physical stress.

1

"Buffalo Bill" Cody

Image: Illinois State University, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If we had to name the most famous cowboy in history , Buffalo Bill Cody would probably be a top contender. Throughout his lifetime, Cody greatly contributed to shaping the image we have of the American West.

Born in Iowa in 1846, he earned his nickname while working for the Union Pacific Railway, where railroad workers were amazed by his hunting skills. But history had bigger plans in store for Cody, and he would soon become an actor , traveling throughout the eastern United States performing plays based on stories of the Wild West for more than 30 years.

Eventually, poor business management and a certain change in popular interests led Buffalo Bill to ruin and he retired from show business just two months before his death in 1917. He was, however, mourned by millions of people who considered him a hero.

2

John Henry "Doc" Holliday

Image: Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz

John Henry "Doc" Holliday was born in 1851 in Griffin, Georgia, into a wealthy family. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in Philadelphia but was shortly thereafter diagnosed with tuberculosis and advised to live in the drier, hotter climate of the West.

In Dallas, Texas, he pursued his trade as a dentist but also discovered saloons and whiskey. Soon, realizing that gambling could be much more lucrative than dentistry, he began his professional gambling career.

The rest of his life was spent among crooks, gunfights, and jailmates in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. At only 36 years old, his lungs could not keep up with his gunslinging way of life and he finally met his death in 1887 in a hotel bed in Colorado. It is said that his last words were, "This is funny."

3

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

Image: yavuz pancareken

The lives of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid became legendary pretty quickly. As early as 1903, their exploits inspired the first modern film —Edwin S. Porter's _The Great Train Robbery_— and since then, their adventures have not ceased to be portrayed by popular culture. In a way, they symbolize the definitive end of the romanticized Western era at the hands of 20th-century industrialization and urbanization.

Both cowboys were members of a gang known as "The Wild Bunch," which earned them a reputation as bank and train robbers. According to lore, after several years of crime and run-ins with the law, the bandits managed to escape to Latin America. Eventually, they were caught and killed in Bolivia in 1908. The fact that their graves were never found helped fuel the myth that they had, in fact, returned to the United States and lived in anonymity for many more years.

4

Jesse James

Image: Steve

Jesse James's life is one of the most emblematic of the Wild West. His criminal career began after his involvement with pro-Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War. Along with the Younger brothers, he created a gang with which they robbed banks, trains, stagecoaches, and stores from Iowa to Texas and from Tennessee to California.

It is believed that throughout the years they netted more than a quarter of a million dollars. Despite the gory nature of their heists and murders, the gang often had public sympathy.

Jesse's death is as controversial as his life. At only 34 years old, he was shot in the back by one of his gang partners, who hoped to obtain a state reward in exchange for his betrayal. The public was not happy with the government conspiring to assassinate a citizen, no matter how criminal, and the matter became a scandal, resulting in Jesse James's rise to mythical status.

5

Annie Oakley

Image: International Film Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From an early age, Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses, better known as Annie Oakley, took up hunting to help support her family. At the age of fifteen, she won a competition against the famous marksman Frank Butler, to whom she later married. Together, they appeared in several exhibitions across the country and, in 1885, joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

Annie was able to open the edge of a letter, shatter glass balls thrown in the air, and hit dimes held between her husband's fingers or apples placed in her poodle's mouth by shooting from 30 paces away. Her life was so rich and fascinating that she was the inspiration for several movies and plays.

6

Billy the Kid

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

According to legend, Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid, killed at least 21 people during his career as a notorious outlaw in New Mexico. However, he cemented his place in the pantheon of frontier legends not so much for his murders as for his personality and incredible marksmanship skills.

Born in the late 1850s in the Irish slums of New York City, McCarty had to reinvent himself as a gunslinger after the death of his mother when he was just a teenager. His life and the events surrounding his death at the hands of legendary lawman Pat Garrett were immortalized in numerous films, books, and songs. In fact, Billy the Kid holds the record as the most portrayed individual in cinematic history.

7

Lucille Mulhall

Image: Melissa Walsh

By 1900, split riding skirts allowed women to compete in rodeos without shocking Victorian-era audiences. But the truth is that women have been participating in exhibitions even in the early days of the Old West.

Lucille Mulhall is considered America's first legendary cowgirl. Born in 1885, Lucille grew up on her family's ranch in Oklahoma, where she acquired her incredible cattle-roping skills. She began performing in shows as a teenager and, throughout her career, competed in many rodeos, setting a few roping world records.

8

Belle Starr

Image: Pixabay

Perhaps the most famous female gunslinger in the history of the West was Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr, better known as Belle Starr. Born in Missouri in 1848, Belle had a fairly well-to-do childhood and was a bright student. However, when her family moved to Texas after the Civil War, the young girl stumbled upon the James-Younger gang. After falling in love with Cole Younger, she became a member of the gang.

That love affair didn't last long, but a few others followed, which led her to live outside the law for the rest of her life. Her alleged riding and gun skills increased her fame throughout the country, turning her into a legend.

9

Wyatt Earp

Image: National Archives at College Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wyatt Earp belonged to a large family whose members were famous for being gunfighters, gamblers, bison hunters, miners, and lawmen. While all were notorious Wild West characters, it was Wyatt's exploits that have gone down in history. His life is testimony to the ambiguity that prevailed at a time when there was no distinction between upholding the law and transgressing it.

After a long life traveling the American West as a deputy sheriff, bounty hunter, and saloon owner, in 1905 Wyatt settled permanently in Los Angeles, California. He became a film consultant in Hollywood, befriending producers, directors, and actors. It is even said that John Wayne took Earp’s stories as inspiration for some of the tough characters he portrayed on the big screen.

10

"Wild Bill" Hickok

Image: Turuncu Sakal

James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill," is a legendary folk hero thanks to the many stories that romanticized his life as a soldier, gunslinger, gambler, marshal, and actor. Over the years, his adventures have been retold numerous times in pop culture. The truth is that Hickok did more in his thirty-nine years of life than most who lived twice as long.

Since his birth in Illinois in 1837, he is said to have been involved in some of the most dramatic and, at the same time, most spectacular events in the history of the Wild West. His death, unsurprisingly, is also legendary. In 1876, while playing a game of poker in a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, a man named Jack McCall shot him in the back of the head. The cards he was holding at the time —two pairs of Aces and black Eights— became the well-known "dead man's hand."

1

Seaside, Florida: The Truman Show

Seaside, Florida captured the hyper-idyllic essence of the fictional "Seahaven Island" in 1998’s satirical classic, The Truman Show .

Director Peter Weir and his location scouts found the exact picture-perfect community they needed in this town , with its pristine streets, pastel homes, and carefully planned design. That’s why, instead of building a massive Hollywood soundstage, the production team filmed in this 80-acre master-planned coastal community along Northwest Florida's Scenic Highway 30A. The real town became the fictional place where Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) unknowingly lives inside a television show. The movie helped turn this quiet Florida Panhandle community into a destination for movie fans.

2

Estes Park, Colorado: The Shining

Estes Park, Colorado, became famous on the literary and cinematic map because its historic Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King to write his legendary 1977 horror novel The Shinin g.

King and his wife stayed at the hotel in 1974 when it was nearly empty as the season was ending, which inevitably fueled the author's imagination. Their stay, including a night in Room 217, helped inspire the fictional Overlook Hotel. While Stanley Kubrick filmed the exterior of his 1980 movie elsewhere, the Stanley Hotel became a filming location for the 1997 television miniseries adaptation.

3

Marfa, Texas: Giant

Marfa, Texas became a legendary screen destination when it hosted the 1955 production of the classic Hollywood epic Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor (Leslie Benedict), Rock Hudson (Bick Benedict), and James Dean (Jett Rink) in his final completed film role.

Director George Stevens used the stark West Texas desert outside Marfa to portray the sprawling "Reata" ranch. The cast and crew stayed at the historic Hotel Paisano during production, which became the center of the shoot’s off-screen life and still displays Giant memorabilia today, including giant roadside cutouts of Taylor, Dean, and Rock Hudson .

4

Monroeville, Alabama: To Kill a Mockingbird

Monroeville, Alabama, inspired the fictional town of Maycomb in Harper Lee’s novel and the 1962 film adaptation To Kill a Mockingbird . However, the movie was largely filmed on Universal Studios’ backlot in California, rather than in Alabama itself.

Universal’s designers recreated the Southern setting on the studio lot after visiting the location and taking photographs and measurements of the town and courthouse. The courtroom was carefully modeled on the interior of Monroeville’s courthouse, helping make the fictional Maycomb feel remarkably authentic. Today, you can visit the "A Celebration of Reading" sculpture in the same square . Created by Branko Medencica, the bronze sculpture features unidentified characters from the novel, although many reasonably assume they represent Scout, Jem, and Dill.

5

Savannah, Georgia: Forrest Gump

Savannah, Georgia provided the setting for some of the most recognizable scenes in 1994’s Forrest Gump .

While the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama, and many rural landscapes were actually brought to life in other parts of Georgia and South Carolina, this town was the backdrop for the movie’s famous bus-stop scenes, where Forrest (Tom Hanks) sits with his box of chocolates and recounts his life story to strangers. The movie’s opening feather sequence also passes through the city’s historic squares. The bench itself was a movie prop and was removed after filming, although a prop bench is now displayed at the Savannah History Museum.

6

Madison, Indiana: Some Came Running

Madison, Indiana became a temporary Hollywood set in 1958 when it served as the primary filming location for the star-studded drama Some Came Running. The movie starred Frank Sinatra as Dave Hirsh , Shirley MacLaine as Ginny Moorehead, and Dean Martin as Bama Dillert.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the MGM film was based on James Jones’s novel and used Madison to portray the fictional town of Parkman, Indiana. Much of the movie was filmed in and around Madison, including its streets, homes, and businesses.

7

Rome, Georgia: Remember the Titans

Rome, Georgia, stepped into the cinematic spotlight by serving as a backdrop for the 2000 inspirational sports film Remember the Titans .

Specifically, Berry College in Rome provided the setting for the football team’s training camp. The college’s Ford Buildings, Old Mill, Oak Hill, and surrounding forest all appeared in the film. Fans can still recognize parts of the picturesque campus on screen, which was also used for other productions, including Sweet Home Alabama and Stranger Things .

8

Berlin, Maryland: Runaway Bride

Berlin, Maryland, stood in for the fictional town of Hale in the 1999 romantic comedy Runaway Bride , starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Three weeks of filming in 1998 were estimated to have brought as much as $1 million into the local economy, while the movie’s publicity helped drive a major increase in tourism.

Downtown shops along Main Street—including a local store turned into a bridal boutique and the historic Atlantic Hotel—served as key backdrops. The hotel also became especially associated with Richard Gere, with Room 20 now known as the "Richard Gere Room."

9

Franklin, Tennessee: Hannah Montana: The Movie

Franklin, Tennessee, became famous on screen as a key filming location for the 2009 Disney hit Hannah Montana: The Movi e, starring Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in the role she originated on Disney’s wildly popular TV show.

Among the on-screen highlights in this town, Franklin High School stood in for the fictional Seaview High School, where Miley and Lily (Emily Osment) attend classes. CoolSprings Galleria’s Belk Department Store was also used for a memorable shoe-store scene featuring Hannah and Tyra Banks. The historic downtown area also appears in several scenes, giving the movie a distinctly Tennesseean backdrop.

10

Libby, Montana: The Revenant

Although the movie was filmed in several locations (including the remote wilderness of Canada and south of Argentina), Libby, Montana became a crucial backdrop for the 2015 Oscar-winning epic The Revenant , capturing one of the film’s most gripping and intense sequences.

The specific location used near Libby is Kootenai Falls, one of the largest free-flowing, undammed waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest. In the film, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) desperately escapes an ambush by a party of pursuing Arikara warriors. He throws himself into the churning rapids and is violently swept downstream before plunging straight over the edge of a massive waterfall. The sequence took 10 full days to film on location.