Framed as an examination of the construction of the myth of the “Wild West,” this installment in the How FACT Became FICTION series (8 titles) breaks down some of the historical realities in the period and region as well as some of the fictions that influenced popular understandings of the time. After a brief overview of how the Wild West is typically understood today, the author outlines key historic moments (the Louisiana Purchase, the Homestead act), conditions faced by various Indigenous tribes during the era of westward colonialism, and, crucially, the traveling shows of Buffalo Bill Cody, which established much of the stereotypes still evident today. While the focus occasionally seems too narrow, the exhortation to think critically about how we understand the past is a valuable lesson for any era.