The ways American cowboys were celebrated and portrayed in popular culture was much different then what cowboys were really like. The cowboy that was associated with "the West" had a heroic image. Cowboys were portrayed as having toughness, freedom, and strength, giving them the "wild West" image. They were seen as people who didn't take crap from anybody and they had the freedom to do what they want. They were also seen as fighters. People liked this version of the cowboy because it made them think that was what the West was actually like, carefree and wild. When in reality cowboys weren't anything like this. Real cowboys were very low payed men. They had the disadvantages of hard physical labor, loneliness, and no real opportunities to advance themselves.
   I think people liked to believe this image of the cowboy because it made the West seem better. People would associate the West with cowboys and freedom instead of some of the hardships and realities about the West. The image of the cowboy distracted people from focusing on the troubles of the West like the Chinese, the land going fast, the lack of jobs, and the idea of possible failure in the West. People would've rather seen the West like the cowboy portrayed it instead of seeing the reality.
   The factors that contributed mostly to the idealization of the American cowboy were the works of entertainers, writers, and artists. Sculptures and paintings of the cowboy came from Frederick Remington. Mark Twain wrote many stories about the heroic qualities of the cowboy. Shows from Buffalo Bill kept the ideals and images of the American cowboy going. These factors were a significant reason for the idealization of the American cowboys.