From the myth and glamour of the big screen to the real-life stories of the open range, a new museum exhibition in Ventura County looks at the story of the American cowboy.
Cowboys: History and Hollywood is a new, 12,000-square-foot exhibition at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
It features more than 300 authentic artifacts, along with memorabilia from movie and TV legends such as John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and Clayton Moore.
The exhibition dispels many common misconceptions about cowboys, such as the notion that they were historically predominantly white males.
"In the exhibit, you're going to see who was a cowboy," explained Randy Swan, the library and museum's curator. "Cowboys were from the Native peoples of the Southwest, probably 15 to 20%, from the original tribes of the United States. Another 30% were African-American, and another 30-40% were vaqueros from Mexican and Mestizo groups."
"When everyone walks in here, I hope they're going to see something they know," Swan continued. "But, I want them to walk away saying 'Wow, I didn't know that.' The term cowboy gets knocked around a lot, so we tried to dig deeper. A person who herds animals was a cowboy. We also look at the evolution of the term, and how it got modernized."
The exhibition features historic artifacts like a chuck wagon, saddlebags, and rodeo gear. It also provides visitors with a glimpse at the tools of modern-day ranching, with a large indoor corral, a helicopter, a Jeep, and a drone.
The other half of the exhibition showcases Hollywood’s portrayal of cowboys, as depicted in movies and TV shows from the 1940s to the '60s.
One section is a tribute to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
"The important things are here," said Julia Rogers Pomilia, one of Rogers' and Evans' grandchildren. "Trigger (Roy's horse), Buttermilk (Dale's horse), and Bullet (Roy's dog, who starred on his TV show), plus an outfit worn by each of them, plus their boots and hats."
"I am so thrilled they are resurfacing again, all these memories and the things about cowboys, and the other cowboys here (represented in the exhibition), they stood for a way of life that was real," said Pomilia. "They weren't just acting on the screen. These were good people that had values and morals, and they tried to teach that to kids."
Cowboys: History and Hollywood also features the mask and silver bullet of the cowboy crimefighter, The Lone Ranger, who was played by Clayton Moore.
"My father's mask that he wore as the Lone Ranger has become one of the Holy Grails of American pop culture," said Clayton’s daughter, Dawn Moore. "It's right up there with the ruby slippers (from the Wizard of Oz) and Indiana Jones' whip. It's a piece of Americana, and it represents justice and truth. What it means to me to see him, and John Wayne, and Roy and Dale being honored is the legacy that they all left was altruism."
One can't talk about Hollywood and Westerns without talking about John Wayne. Some of his memorabilia is on display.
"To see it here, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, is amazing," Anita LaCava Swift, A granddaughter of Wayne. "It's great he's included in this cast of incredible cowboys, real and imagined. But he wasn't just an actor. He was an actual rancher. He truly was a cowboy," said Swift.
Randy Swan said that while many of us grew up with the Hollywood version of cowboy life, he hopes visitors will leave the exhibition with a more realistic view of that life and learn something in the process.
Cowboys: History and Hollywood opens Saturday, October 18, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and runs through April 19, 2026.
