Wild West Ocean Beach

Surfers on Ocean Beach in San Francisco found themselves surrounded by 100 Indians on horseback on Friday, September 5, 2008. Sadly, the Indians and their horses were painfully thin.

A demonstration of the paucity of Federal treaty promises partially upheld? No, the Indians and horses were plywood cutouts painted by Thom Ross. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that this was Mr. Ross' "Valentine to my home town".

The Western artist used the images from Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show photograph from 1902 in which Bill Cody posed his Indian entertainers along the same portion of the beach.

Mr. Ross is a native San Franciscan, but now lives in Seattle. His art installation continues through September 15, 2008.

Please note that the art installation displays American Indians from the Plains tribes in the 19th Century and are not representative of tribal members from the Northern California area, past or present.