Civil War (1860-1865) An early example of a Western in "The Great Train Robbery" RealVideo (streaming) MPEG Format (30.9 MB) Help With Video Credits Novelist Owen Wister Was Born July 14, 1860 Movies and books about the Wild West often make the life of the cowboy seem more glamorous and full of adventure than it really was. In The Virginian, the climactic showdown and tender romance between a refined Eastern schoolteacher and a rough-and-tumble cowhand, made the cowboy into an American folk hero and introduced themes that became standard in American Western movies. What is your favorite part in a Western? How did people learn about the Wild West before there were movies? page 2 of 3 Library Of Congress | Legal Notices | Privacy | Site Map | Contact Us VIDEO CREDIT: Porter Edwin S., producer; Thomas A. Edison, Inc. "The Great Train Robbery." 1903. Inventing Entertainment: The Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies, Library of Congress.