If you want to feel as weak as you probably are, listen to “Yellowstone” franchise creator Taylor Sheridan explain the historical inspiration for the prequel “1883” to Joe Rogan during a Thursday podcast.
It’s common knowledge that literally countless Europeans were brought to America to help settle the western reaches (or at least, it’s common knowledge in the British education system, I’m not sure about here in the U.S.). But did you know how extensive the campaign to get people to become American used to be? (RELATED: ‘Yellowstone’ Creator Taylor Sheridan Slams Vegans In Epic Joe Rogan Interview)
“What our government was doing was, we needed people for a multitude of reasons after the Civil War. So many of the workforce had been killed, you know, 1 point something million soldiers died, that we know of, we don’t know how many civilians,” Sheridan told Rogan in a clip shared on YouTube. “We needed people to settle the west because Manifest Destiny basically said, hey there’s all this land we bought… and we can’t settle it because every time we try the Lakota or Comanche kick the shit out of us, so we should send a bunch of central Europeans and eastern Europeans over there and let them get in the middle of it.”
Sheridan explained how the U.S. government would put up posters all over Germany, Romania, Norway, and other parts of Europe, proclaiming free land for all those who made the journey to the New World.
“There were people who would come from areas where it was against the law to swim,” Sheridan continued. Those of us will remember this plot line from “1883,” when those seeking their Manifest Destiny in the Wild West didn’t get a free extra seat in economy because they were fat losers … these people, who literally couldn’t swim, had to traverse rivers in order to create the country you now call home.
Apparently the part about the violence between settlers and Indians wasn’t told to Europeans until they were well into their journey. The disease they brought wiped out 90 percent of the Native population, and the Catholic Church tried to destroy the rest — as depicted in the follow-up prequel “1923.”
The duo also discussed how aesthetically spectacular “1883” looked, and there’s good reason. It turns out Sheridan doesn’t need to use CGI for storms. He just waits until God creates the backdrop he wants, and yells “ACTION.” (RELATED: Matthew McConaughey Apparently Has Insane Salary Demands For ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-Off ‘2024’)
Could you survive if you were forced into a world without modern technologies to protect you, like your ancestors before you? Probably not. It’s such a shame we’ve devolved so much since settling this land.
Listen to the full episode here, if you think you’re man enough: