Season 1 poster
← The West

Season 1

9 episodes · 15th September 1996

Season details

Details

Episode guide

Episodes

01 The People (1500-1806) still The People (1500-1806) Episode 115th September 1996 The West begins as the whole world to the people who live there. It becomes a New World when Europeans arrive, a world shaken by incompatible visions. And almost three centuries later, when Lewis and Clark venture west to find a Northwest Passage, this world becomes the testing-ground for a young nation's continent-spanning dream. 02 Empire Upon The Trails (1806-1848) still Empire Upon The Trails (1806-1848) Episode 216th September 1996 Americans head west along many pathways -- following the fur trade into the mountains, fighting for self-determination in Texas, seeking religious freedom in Utah or a better life along the Oregon Trail. But whatever direction they travel, they move closer with every step to a “Manifest Destiny” that will make the West their own. 03 The Speck Of The Future (1848-1856) still The Speck Of The Future (1848-1856) Episode 317th September 1996 The Gold Rush brings the whole world to the West, as 49ers from Asia, South America and the eastern states scramble for “a share of the rocks,” littering the hills with mining towns and creating the West’s first metropolis. But in the push to strike it rich, many are violently pushed aside. 04 Death Runs Riot (1856-1868) still Death Runs Riot (1856-1868) Episode 418th September 1996 Civil war comes early to the West. In “Bleeding Kansas,” abolitionists battle for free soil. In Utah, federal troops march against Mormon polygamy. And along the Rio Grande, oppressed Mexican Americans rebel. The war between North and South unleashes brute savagery in the West, and leaves behind an army prepared for total war against the native peoples of the plains. 05 The Grandest Enterprise Under God (1868-1874) still The Grandest Enterprise Under God (1868-1874) Episode 519th September 1996 A triumph of the human spirit, the transcontinental railroad opens a new era in the West, carrying homesteaders onto the prairies, bringing cowboys up the cattle trail from Texas, helping give women the vote in Utah and sending buffalo hunters onto the plains, where they drive a symbol of the West -- and a way of life -- to the brink of extinction. 06 Fight No More Forever (1874-1877) still Fight No More Forever (1874-1877) Episode 620th September 1996 The federal government tightens its grip on the West, but three bold spirits remain defiant -- Sitting Bull, who prophesies his people's greatest victory but cannot prevent their ultimate defeat; Brigham Young, who must sacrifice a spiritual son to save his church; and Chief Joseph, who triumphs in defeat as an indomitable voice of conscience for the West. 07 The Geography Of Hope (1877-1887) still The Geography Of Hope (1877-1887) Episode 721st September 1996 Newcomers arrive by the millions, bringing a new spirit of conformity to the West. Indian children are taught to forsake their heritage, Mormons are told to abandon a tenet of their faith, and new laws deny Chinese and Mexican Americans a place in society. Yet the legend of the “Wild West” lives on, thanks to the greatest showman of the age. 08 Ghost Dance (1887 -1914) still Ghost Dance (1887 -1914) Episode 822nd September 1996 As settlers race to claim tribal lands, Native Americans take up the Ghost Dance, trusting in its power to restore a lost way of life until their hopes are crushed at Wounded Knee. The new century marks a new era in the West, an age of aqueducts and smelters. But the West remains what it has always been, a world waiting for a dream. 09 One Sky Above Us (1887-1914) still One Sky Above Us (1887-1914) Episode 923rd September 1996 Los Angeles steals its water supply, millions of Mexicans migrate north, and Hollywood begins to shape the West and the nation's image of it.
Talent

Cast & Crew

01 Peter Coyote profile Peter Coyoteas Self - Narrator 02 N. Scott Momaday profile N. Scott Momadayas Self - Writer 03 Murphy Guyer profile Murphy Guyeras Self 04 John Trudell profile John Trudellas Self 05 Eli Wallach profile Eli Wallachas Self 06 Arthur Miller profile Arthur Milleras Self 07 John Lithgow profile John Lithgowas Self 08 Gary Sinise profile Gary Siniseas T. P. Eagan 09 Jimmy Smits profile Jimmy Smitsas Self 10 Keith Carradine profile Keith Carradineas Self 11 Adam Arkin profile Adam Arkinas Self 12 Matthew Broderick profile Matthew Broderickas Self - William Swain 13 Stephen Ives profile Stephen IvesDirector / Writer 14 Geoffrey C. Ward profile Geoffrey C. WardWriter
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