Pecos Bill was immortalized in tall tales initially attributed to Edward O’Reilly in the Century Magazine. The stories were based on oral histories told by cowboys during the westward expansion and the settlement of the American Southwest. Pecos Bill is credited with tremendous feats of courage, such as using a rattlesnake as a lasso and riding a tornado like a bronco. He also is credited with digging the Rio Grande River and bringing color to the Painted Desert. Pecos Bill, per the legend, was born in Texas in the 1830s, traveled with his family in a covered wagon as an infant, fell out of the wagon unbeknownst to his parents, and was then found and raised by a pack of coyotes.