From horses to " Ford»: how the Wild West was "domesticated"

By the beginning of the XX century, the Wild West as a cultural phenomenon ceased to exist. The river from the caravans of immigrants became shallow, the land was mostly divided among farmers, poor Indians were driven to reservations, dashing gangs went underground. However, the way of life of people has not changed much. Except that life has become calmer.

In the remarkable images of the famous American photographer Russell Lee, taken in the 1930s and 1940s, the attributes of the new century begin to break through the thickness of the tightly rooted past, but remain in the shadows for now.

The favorite pastime of American farmers is the rodeo.

The crowd gathers around the man who distributes the surplus goods. The city of St. John's, Arizona.

The harvest collected from your own plantation. In 1877, Congress passed a law that allowed settlers to buy up to 640 acres of public land for 25 cents an acre. 

Construction of a dam in California.

The city of Butte, Montana.

The woman shows a blanket on which all the birds — symbols of the states-are woven.

A school in Pee Town, New Mexico, organized in the former farm board building.