Even if you have never watched a western or felt nary a pang at the phrase “Go West, young man,” the Autry Museum might well fill you with the magic and romance of America’s Wild West.

Although it is aptly named for America’s favourite singing cowboy, Gene Autry, don’t misled into thinking this is a showcase only for the actor. Rather, this museum focuses on he unique frontier culture that sprang up west of the Mississippi and defined America’s real West.

Seven diversely themed galleries detail and celebrate the history of the West through a plethora of art, artefacts, and films. The evolution of modern-day California is traced through a cast of characters, including native peoples, European explorers, early pioneers, shoot-‘em-up gunslingers, Chinese labourers, and Catholic missionaries, ending in Hollywood.

The Spirit and Romance depicts both the genuine hardships of the West along with the delight at its natural beauty. Among highlights are film footage of early Wild West shows and Annie Oakley’s gold-plated pistols. Nearly 200 Colt revolvers are on display in the Spirit of the Cowboy gallery, while the Anheuser-Bush gallery sports an 1880 wooden saloon bar.