The West
The West

The West

1996 1 Seasons 9 Episodes ⭐ 8.4 Documentary

The West, sometimes marketed as Ken Burns Presents: The West, is a documentary film about the American Old West. It was directed by Stephen Ives and the executive producer was Ken Burns. The film originally aired on PBS in September 1996.

The West, sometimes marketed as Ken Burns Presents: The West, is a documentary film about the American Old West. It was directed by Stephen Ives and the executive producer was Ken Burns. The film originally aired on PBS in September 1996.

Seasons & Episodes

EP 1

The People (1500-1806)

The West begins as the whole world to the people who live there. It becomes a New World when Europeans arrive, a world s

EP 2

Empire Upon The Trails (1806-1848)

Americans head west along many pathways -- following the fur trade into the mountains, fighting for self-determination i

EP 3

The Speck Of The Future (1848-1856)

The Gold Rush brings the whole world to the West, as 49ers from Asia, South America and the eastern states scramble for

EP 4

Death Runs Riot (1856-1868)

Civil war comes early to the West. In “Bleeding Kansas,” abolitionists battle for free soil. In Utah, federal troops

EP 5

The Grandest Enterprise Under God (1868-1874)

A triumph of the human spirit, the transcontinental railroad opens a new era in the West, carrying homesteaders onto the

EP 6

Fight No More Forever (1874-1877)

The federal government tightens its grip on the West, but three bold spirits remain defiant -- Sitting Bull, who prophes

EP 7

The Geography Of Hope (1877-1887)

Newcomers arrive by the millions, bringing a new spirit of conformity to the West. Indian children are taught to forsake

EP 8

Ghost Dance (1887 -1914)

As settlers race to claim tribal lands, Native Americans take up the Ghost Dance, trusting in its power to restore a los

EP 9

One Sky Above Us (1887-1914)

Los Angeles steals its water supply, millions of Mexicans migrate north, and Hollywood begins to shape the West and the

Popular Cast

Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote
Self - Narrator
N. Scott Momaday
N. Scott Momaday
Self - Writer
Murphy Guyer
Murphy Guyer
Self
John Trudell
John Trudell
Self
Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Self
Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Self
John Lithgow
John Lithgow
Self
Gary Sinise
Gary Sinise
T. P. Eagan
Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits
Self
Keith Carradine
Keith Carradine
Self
Adam Arkin
Adam Arkin
Self
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick
Self - William Swain