Increasingly the public identified the cowboy with courage and devotion to duty, for he tended cattle wherever he had to go, whether in bogs of quicksand; swift, flooding rivers; or seemingly inaccessible brush. He rode with lightning and blizzard, ate hot summer sand, and was burned by the sun.
As the public's perception evolved, they began to view the cowboy as a symbol of resilience and commitment, because he would travel to remote areas to care for his cattle, facing challenges such as swampy terrain, fast-moving rivers, and dense forests. He rode through severe weather conditions, endured extreme temperatures, and suffered from sunburn.