Americans have long cherished romantic images of the frontier and its colorful cast of characters, where the cowboys are always rugged and the ladies always fragile. But in this book, Peter Boag opens an extraordinary window onto the real Old West. Delving into countless primary sources and surveying sexological and literary sources, Boag paints a vivid picture of a West where cross-dressing--for both men and women--was pervasive, and where easterners as well as Mexicans and even Indians could redefine their gender and sexual identities. Boag asks, why has this history been forgotten and erased? Citing a cultural moment at the turn of the twentieth century--when the frontier ended, the United States entered the modern era, and homosexuality was created as a category--Boag shows how the American people, and thus the American nation, were bequeathed an unambiguous heterosexual identity.

About the Author
Peter Boag holds the Columbia Chair in the History of the American West at Washington State University. He is the author of Environment and Experience: Settlement Culture in Nineteenth-Century Oregon and Same Sex Affairs: Constructing and Controlling Homosexuality in the Pacific Northwest, both from UC Press.

Reviews
"This is fascinating stuff, on many levels... If you're a western history buff especially, you need to outfit yourself with this book soon." Inland Empire Weekly "A extremely valuable work." -- Blake Allmendinger Pacific Northwest Quarterly "Challenging, informative work... Highly recommended." -- S. D. Reschly Choice "A lovely (and at times wry) new volume." -- Daniel Hurewitz Western Historical Qtly "Fascinating... [An] impressive contribution to western and gender history." -- Richard Stott American Historical Review "Because it uncovers a wealth of stories that are overdue for telling, Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past is the ticket. If you're a western history buff especially, you need to outfit yourself with this book soon." -- Terri Schlichenmeyer Dallas Voice "Absorbing and essential reading for those interested in transgender history, the history of sexuality, and the history of the American West." Pacific Historical Review "Innovative... Fascinating... Original and convincing... With a keen scholarly edge, [Boag] successfully breaks down gender and sexual binaries." -- Michael J. Lansing, Augsburg College Jrnl Of American History "The recovery of these accounts over a century later is an important step toward understanding a hitherto hidden aspect of our frontier past." -- Terri Schlichenmeyer Gay & Lesbian Review/Worldwide



Book Information
ISBN 9780520274426
Author Peter Boag
Format Paperback
Page Count 270
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 408g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 20mm