The Peacemaker

Myth is based on what we would like to believe while Legend takes the truth and enhances its meaning across the passage of time. The West was a land of superlatives, towering mountains that were rich in gold, silver and copper; open spaces; land for the taking; it was a place where men and women could re-invent themselves or, as Bret Harte might have written, “they could get a fresh deal of the cards.” The years following the Civil War symbolized, on one hand, hope, opportunity and fre