“The Old West is not a certain place in a certain time, it’s a state of mind; it’s whatever you want it to be.”
Dave Faries here, quoting Tom Mix, an actor who appeared in a number of Hollywood Westerns in the silent film era. And he is right in the observation that people understand the Old West as a mythic place, one populated by outlaws, lawmen, cowboys, cavalry, the Indigenous nations and others imbued with daring or tribulation.
Yet the experience of the Old West was diverse. Beyond the dime novels and Hollywood films, beyond contrition over the treatment of Native peoples, there was a West of innovation, of commerce, of agriculture, art, entertainment and more. It was a land of many languages and ways, a land of tradition and change.
Each year for the Best of Monterey County®, we select a theme that guides our illustrations and write ups on the winners, those selected by Weekly readers as the best in many categories. Last year we drew on the life and writings of John Steinbeck. For the 2024 edition, which you will find inserted in the paper that reached racks today, Oct. 3, we chose the Old West—in part for the diversity, in part because Monterey County was part of that storied era.
A lot goes into the Best of Monterey County®. In the first stage, readers are asked to nominate their favorite people, places and such in some 272 categories. From these, finalists are selected and put to a vote, again by readers. Finally, Weekly staff members pitch in some “Editors’ Picks”—people or places that may not have captured the fancy of readers, but we believe to be deserving of recognition. In all, 25 people are involved in putting the issue together. There are more, of course, as the magazine must be printed and distributed.
You may not agree with every selection. But the Best of Monterey County® is a democratic process. Some businesses do well at getting out the vote. All, however, are popular with the people of this county. So the magazine works as a guide to what we like—a good starting point for anyone seeking the Best Plumber, the Best Bakery, the Best Neighborhood Market or even the Best Place to Experience a Midwestern Winter in the Middle of a California Summer.
Yes, the Editors’ Picks can be a bit snarky sometimes. Yet we hope all of it is fun and informative. And just maybe all of us—readers and writers alike—will pick up a few tidbits about the Old West along the way.
Clearly there were tragic aspects. History is like that. We tried to keep it on the light side. After all, while the theme guides our writing, the publication is a celebration of the winners. Did you know, for instance, that there are two existing photos of Billy the Kid, and that while in one he holds a rifle, in the other he is playing croquet?
I have lived by some of the markers of that time: the Shawnee Trail, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Oregon Trail (and Mormon Trail), Pony Express stations, where French artist Jules Tavernier put Elem Pomo culture on canvas, close to natural wonders like Chimney Rock and in a town once known as the “wickedest” place in the West.
The time is past. But for those who lived through it, the Old West was a brief period of rapid transformation—for better or worse—and movement. “So they all went away from the little log house,” wrote Laura Ingalls Wilder. “The shutters were over the windows, so the little house could not see them go. It stayed there inside the log fence, behind the two big oak trees that in the summertime had made green roofs for Mary and Laura to play under. And that was the last of the little house.”
We hope you enjoy the Best of Monterey County® and that it is what you want it to be.