From the Editor

Western History Revisited

Byrne

To be sure, the West continues to exercise a hold on the imagination in American culture. There are admittedly fewer "westerns" appearing in cinema these days than there were a few decades ago, yet they remain a staple on cable television channels. One station this summer even aired a twelve-hour series entitled Into the West, an effort spearheaded by the renowned director Stephen Spielberg and now being marketed in DVD format. Although it claimed to present a multi-cultural perspective by exploring "the clash of . . . cultures" through the experiences of two fictional families—one white and one Native American—over several generations, the epic's Web site invited viewers to "Journey to the heart of the American Dream." Traditional views of the West persist, even as scholarly investigations open new windows of interpretation, emphasizing inclusiveness and complexity.

And scholarship on the West has indeed experienced a renewed dynamism over the past three decades, as guest editors Anne Butler and Clyde Milner II point out in their Foreword. Given that more than ten years have passed since the OAH Magazine of History featured the theme of the American West, it is high time we invited our readers to consider where that field has gone in the interim. What you will discover is that emerging interpretations of this area continue to provoke conversations, develop new insights, and incorporate new perspectives on the past. While current narratives of the West do include Native American viewpoints, as the television miniseries reportedly did, they have also moved well beyond that dichotomy. Latinos, Asians, and African Americans are part of the emerging historiographical landscape. So are shifting chronological boundaries that have renewed an interest in the colonial period, involving the stories of several European colonizers. Rather than see the inevitable outgrowth of the "American Dream," historians of the West are increasingly aware of the role of contingency and chance, sensitive to the fact that Anglo-America was not necessarily destined to prevail on the North American continent. Certainly, numerous individuals and families moved from the United States into western territory in order to stake a claim to their dreams for a better life. But the story is far more complex than even twelve hours of blockbuster epic was able to portray.

The main essays contained here do a remarkable job of bringing readers up to date on the prevailing interpretations, and questions, that characterize today's study of the American West. A profile of one Western historian, four lesson plans, and some suggestions regarding pertinent National Park Service historic sites explore other ways of appreciating that history, as does the Gilder Lehrman document on emigration into the Mexican territory of Texas. A thoughtful article reviewing one experience with National History Day and an essay in the "America on the World Stage" series—on the international implications of landscape, especially the lawn—round out this issue of the Magazine.

Dedication
Glancing at the left hand side of the Table of Contents page, you will note that this issue is dedicated to Robert and Sarah Sperry. The dedication is a gift from Paul S. Sperry, whose generosity has helped support the Organization of American Historians, and thus this magazine. Mr. Sperry is a member of the OAH's Frederick Jackson Turner Society. All Turner Society members (and Founder Society members, too) are entitled to select a dedication for one issue of this publication, and we are indeed grateful to Paul Sperry for his continued interest in and support of our efforts at the OAH Magazine of History.

Welcome to The History Channel
You may also have noticed that the cover of this issue of the OAH Magazine of History includes a new, additional feature: the logo of The History Channel. The Organization of American Historians and those of us at the Magazine are very pleased to welcome The History Channel as a corporate sponsor for our publication, joining the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in that category. While the Magazine depends on the financial support of its subscribers, we would not be able to maintain the high quality of the product without the generosity of these corporate sponsors. Our thanks to The History Channel, and welcome!

Tachau Award
Annually, the Organization of American Historians is privileged to present an outstanding precollegiate teacher with an award that memorializes the career of Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau, who taught at the University of Louisville and made path-breaking efforts to build bridges between teachers at the university and precollegiate levels. We invite all readers to nominate candidates for this prestigious award for precollegiate teaching; to facilitate the process, OAH has extended this year's deadline for nominations to January 2, 2006.
In addition to the honor itself, the award carries a stipend of $1,000, a one-year membership to OAH, and a year's subscription to the OAH Magazine of History. Eligible candidates may excel in one or more of six different areas of history teaching. The OAH Web site contains a list of criteria and details for submitting an application. Go to <http://www.oah.org/activities/awards/tachau/>. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to honor one of the many deserving history teachers who continue to make a difference through their dedication and professionalism.

Music Issue CDs For Sale
Thank you to all those subscribers who have sent us positive comments about and requests to purchase back copies of the July issue of the Magazine, featuring the theme "Teaching History with Music." The CD that accompanied that issue, containing 22 selections of American music suitable for the history classroom, is now available for purchase at $10 per disk. If you would like to purchase a copy of the CD, please send your request to: OAH, Fulfillment Department, PO Box 5457, Bloomington, IN 47408-5457. --Kevin Byrne