1911: What might Native people think of being copied: "-- whether they felt it to be a subtle form of flattery or a species of indignity to which the red man was forced to submit in the land of his fathers. "

THE EVER POPULAR WILD WEST 

                                                                                 1911, July 18   The Inter Ocean 

There was a little scene in Lincoln park Sunday that illustrated the hold which the Wild West and Indians and all the fond fancies which those two terms generally evoke still have on the popular imagination.

          Around a group of Indians decked out in their bravest and most gorgeous apparel a curious crowd of all ages was gathered. Animals, flowers, grass -- all the attractions of the park -- were temporarily forgotten in the presence of these visitors from realm of romance.

          And in that crowd which gazed curiously on the stolid-looking natives were two or three white children in the little Indian costumes which children delight in -- red-fringed hunting shirts, moccasins, and headdresses decorated with feathers.

1911, Dec 17  The Baltimore Sun 

          Beside these small imitators of the Indian brave who looked on the originals with awe and wonderment, and who were, by reason, of their costumes, not wholly exempt from the attention of the aboriginals themselves, one noted several other white children, a little older, also dressed in a fashion that bore witness to the fascination of the West. They were Boy Scouts. 

          The khaki uniform may be comparatively recent and the Boy Scout organization may not acknowledge any obligation to the Wild West. But he is a poorly instructed American who does not understand the the word "scout" brings into the mind of the American small boy first of all the idea of plains and frontiers and Indians and the hardy scouts who were always having such desperate and delightful adventures. Therein lies its principal fascination.
          It would be extremely interesting to know what that painted and gorgeously appareled crew of real Indians thought of finding their costumes copied by paleface children right in the heart of one of the palefaces largest cities -- whether they felt it to be a subtle form of flattery or a species of indignity to which the red man was forced to submit in the land of his fathers.
          And it would be equally interesting to learn what effect the spectacle of the once too familiar soldier of the Western plains reduced to childhood's scale and confronting them thus unexpectedly in all the glory of khaki and cowboy hats had upon their sense of humor.

1911, July 23  Star Tribune 

          But they gave no signs of disapprobation or amusement. They stood still in the middle of the crowd for a while and then, as if they had reached a sudden decision, moved slowly off toward the car tracks, where they caught a car [train-car] and were borne, for many of those who saw them at least, straight back into the region of romance whence they came. In reality, they went back to the grounds of the show with which they are connected.

1910, June 24  Evansville Press

          But the scene did not dissolve before one observer, at least, had had time to marvel at the lasting fascination of the Wild West for old and young --- the fascination which causes the small child to call for strange and savage apparel, the boy to adorn himself with a Boy Scout uniform and to court discipline, and the adults to spend a goodly sum every year to satiate himself with the sight of Indians, lady shots, cowboys, ponies, and stage robberies.
          Will it last, that fascination? From present indications there is nothing more certain to do so. We have had many variations of national taste. We have loved war and peace and tariffs for revenge and protective tariffs. But through all this mutation the fascination of the Wild West has remained unimpaired. The Indian, the scout, the cowboy have never run the slightest risk of losing their wide popularity.

Two books for sale in 1911 

1911, Dec 13   The Decatur Herald 

Another advertisement for an Indian suit 

1911, Dec 19  Asbury Park Press 

1911, July 18   The Inter Ocean