Nothing has captured the spirit and dreams of America more than the “wild West.”

Whether it is cowboys, Native Americans, the Rocky Mountains, ghost towns, the California gold rush, or the Pacific Ocean, the West has always offered something for everyone.

This magical area is the focus of an exhibit at the Octagon Center which will be running until July 26th.

According to Linda Swan of the Octagon Center, the exhibits purpose is to “explore the role of the 19th century photographer as a recorder of history in the American West.”

The exhibit, which is co-sponsored by the Adams Funeral Home, the Ames Camera Club and the Ames Commission of the Arts, showcases 80 photographs by 17 photographers.

The photographs serve as historical reminders of a time that is not well-documented by physical objects.

Among the photos are portraits of western towns, villages, farms, and ranches — all of which helped to form the structure of the American frontier, Swan said.

The exhibit is divided into three parts: documentation of the natural environment, exploration of emigrants and indigenous people, and the romanticized view of the West.

The photo shown below (titled “Meat For Dinner”) is an example of the first part, documentation of the natural environment. It shows two ranchers skinning a buffalo on the prairie, and was taken in 1874.

Other photos that will be on display include early landscape shots of San Francisco (taken by Carleton E. Watkins), Yosemite (taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan) and portraits of Native Americans (taken by John K. Hillers).

William S. Soule’s famous photograph “Asa-Ton-Yeh,” taken in 1868, will also be part of the display.

According to Swan, the photos by these photographers and the others whose work is represented in the exhibit, “contribute to the scant record that survives of 19th and early 20th century life in the West.”

The “Photography and the Old West” exhibit is being toured nationally by Exhibits USA.

The exhibit will also feature period artifacts and three-dimensional historical artifacts created by local residents.

Swan encourages everyone to stop by the Octagon Center and take a look at the photographs. She believes they will help people gain a valuable understanding of their past and the past of their country.

The Octagon Center is located at 427 Douglas Avenue in downtown Ames.

The exhibit is free and open to the public between the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.