discover Fort Worth, a western town in Texas
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Alexandra Alévêque shares the daily life of 21st century cowboys on France 5. Between rodeos and cattle auctions, the immersive documentary series immerses us in the authentic American West.
Stetson screwed on his untamed curls, shriveled feet in superb green cowboy boots, Alexandra Alévêque – by the way, originally from Charolais – is hosted for two weeks on the ranch of a typical Texan family. Breeders of horses and bulls for the famous rodeo competitions, they domesticate their animals so that they are completely indomitable and impossible to ride. Immersion specialist for “Funny towns for a meeting” on France 5, the journalist discovers Fort Worth, the fourth most prosperous city in Texas, pillar of cowboy culture and symbol of a conquering tough America. The local dress is indeed that of JR Ewing in the Dallas series but the conquest is lived here in the old way, in the heroic spirit of the pioneers, like the film Butch Cassidy and the Kid.
The long transhumance of the Longhorns
Alexandra Alévêque explains the meaning of the ubiquitous western decor in the city: “If the inhabitants continue to play cowboy it is to celebrate the gigantic transhumance which led so many men to the gates of the West more than 150 years ago”. Founded in 1849, Fort Worth was a military camp. Until 1867 the herds of cattle came up from Mexico to take shelter from the Comanche Indian cattle rustlers, in what was then a cavalry fort. Renowned for its famous Longhorn cattle (long horns), Fort Worth has two nicknames: “Where the West begins” and Cowtown (the city of cows).
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This first summer issue is an opportunity to discover the huge cattle market where the host family can buy up to 3,000 heads of calves, bulls or horses per year, or an average of 10 animals per day! Once weighed, the animal is introduced into the auction room. A kilo of Longhorn (between 700 and more than 900 kilos) costs one dollar and up to three dollars per kilo of black cattle. In the evening, Alexandra Alévêque goes to Billy Bobs Texas between bars, restaurants and a dance floor to a background of country music, the largest café-concert (honky-tonk) in the United States on 10,000 m2.
Rodeo, both sport and spectacle
The most impressive spectacle is the Friday and Saturday night rodeos at the Cowtown Coliseum, America’s only indoor arena located in the historic Stockyards district. For 85 dollars, young people looking like bounty hunters hope to win a few hundred dollars, sometimes thousands, on the condition of holding out for 8 seconds on a furious beast, one hand on a rein and the other in the air. The most dangerous test remaining Bull Riding. Alexandra Alévêque inquires about the injuries incurred, sometimes the violence of a road accident.
Steve Murrin, tutelary figure of an authentic Fort Worth
Those nostalgic for the Walker Texas Ranger series will rediscover the Old West spirit of the White Elephant Saloon, the others will tremble at the idea that one day Fort Worth will become just a simple decor in the image of the excellent series Westworld , featuring an amusement park populated by robots for immersive experiences in the Wild West. As we learn from this issue of “Funny towns for a meeting”, real estate agents are looking for land for housing or amusement parks. Steve Murrin, former city councilor and tutelary figure of Fort Worth, bought The Longhorn Saloon and then several other bars on the central street to preserve the historical heritage of the city.
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But around the host family’s ranch, already 500 hectares have been acquired by developers to house a growing population. The folklore of the brown, black or white Stetson in beaver or rabbit hair, the cowboy boots, checkered shirts and Indian-style straps suddenly appears as the infinite mark of respect for the history of the country and for these legendary cowboys glorified by the seventh art in their conquest of the West. As a last bastion, Fort Worth tames the wild animal to maintain the spirit of competition and promote a nourishing beef industry.
SEE ALSO – Actor Dominique Paturel, French voice of JR in “Dallas”, died at the age of 90
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