PBS program - Texas Ranchhouse(?)

[jrdudas]

I have seen a couple episodes of a PBS program titled "Texas Ranch" or "Texas Ranch House".  The theme is that one family (husband, wife, three teen daughters) buy a Texas ranch and hire several cowboys to work it.  The year is supposed to be about 1867.  It's one of those "can you live the way our ancestors lived" programs. 

After seeing two episodes there is one glaring practice that just destroys any attempt at authenticity.  The wife is constantly telling the husband how he should run the ranch, including how he should expect the hired hands to behave and perform.  I'm sure that there were instances in the old west where the wife ran the show, but when it came to ranching I think they were far and few between.  At the urging of the wife the husband even hires a female cowgirl who has marginal riding skills to work the cattle with the male cowboys.  It seems that the females (particularly the wife) on the show want to inject 21st century standards and practices with regard to womens roles into what is supposed to be an authentic depiction of life on a ranch in 1867.  Certainly there were powerful women of the time, but this show depicts all the female characters as being more powerful (influential) and more knowledgable about ranch work than all the males on the ranch.  Right or wrong, gender roles of 1867 were what they were, and for me this approach creates a "Soap Opera" atmosphere that destroys any sense of historical accuracy.  What do you think.

JR