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Cowboy Poetry Week News and Events
Below:
Get involved in Cowboy Poetry Week activities! We have ideas and information about how you can be a part of the celebration and involve your libraries, schools, and communities; get your governor and mayor involved; write to your states' representatives and senators; send information to your arts council; report to newspapers and radios; write a poem for Art Spur; and more. Read how you can be a part of Cowboy Poetry week below.
For Cowboy Poetry Week's second year, in April 2003, the United States Senate passed a resolution, with unanimous approval, recognizing our Cowboy Week celebration. In past years, nineteen states’ governors have officially proclaimed Cowboy Poetry Week and there are a growing number of activities across the West and beyond.
In 2008, poets and others who worked on Cowboy Poetry Week recognition from state officials, to date, included: Hal Swift (Nevada); Nevada Slim and Cimarron Sue (Washington); Linda Kirkpatrick (Texas), Joe Baker (New Mexico), DW Groethe (Montana), Doc Stovall (Georgia), Jim Hawkins (North Carolina), Diane Tribitt (Minnesota), Glen Enloe (Missouri), Smoke Wade (Idaho), Francie Ganje (South Dakota), Van Criddle (Oregon), Jay Snider (Oklahoma), Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns (Wyoming), Dick Morton and Jane Morton (Colorado), Ann Blackford/Gila Valley Cowboy Poets (Arizona), Paul Kern (Utah), Jon F. Noland (Kansas), and Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry (California).
In 2009, we'd like to pursue recognition in additional other states, including North Dakota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, and other states with ranching cultures and cowboy poetry activities. If you'd like to be involved, please email us.
Read more below about contacting your governor or mayor (and please let us know about your efforts, to avoid any duplication of effort).
News for Cowboy Poetry Week 2008
Email us your 2008 news and reports.
Cowboy Poetry Week Events, below
See the main Cowboy Poetry Week page here.
News below, chronologically:
Nevada poet and writer Hal Swift received a proclamation from Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons, proclaiming April 20-26, 2008 as Cowboy Poetry Week.
Posted 3/3
Popular duo Nevada Slim and Cimarron Sue (www.nevadaslim.com) have received a Cowboy Poetry Week. proclamation from Washington Governor Christine Gregoire.
Posted 3/3
The Booth Western Art Museum, sponsors of the Annual Southeastern Cowboy Gathering, have a statewide Youth Cowboy Poetry Contest, opened to students in grades 5 -12, with winners announced for Cowboy Poetry Week. The top fifteen finalists competed at the Booth Western Art Museum on Saturday, March 8, 2008 as part of the Cowboy Gathering. Three finalists in each category return to the Booth to compete for cash prizes in the final competition on Saturday, April 19, in Cartersville, Georgia, in recognition of Cowboy Poetry Week.
See an update below.
Updated 3/10
The 3rd Annual Oklahoma Cowboy Poetry and Songs event will be held on April 8, 2008 at 7 PM in the Oklahoma State University Library in Stillwater, in conjunction with Cowboy Poetry Week. See the latest information below.
Updated 4/1
Laura and Tony Argento Sr. and others have organized an event that celebrates Cowboy Poetry Week, Grass Valley Elks' Cowboy Poetry on April 26, 2008, Saturday in Grass Valley, California, with Tony Argento, Dave P. Fisher, Harold Roy Miller, Susan Parker (pictured), and Johnny Walker. Read about the event here.
[photo of Susan Parker by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Posted 3/3
North Carolina poet Jim Hawkins is pursuing a Cowboy Poetry Week letter of recognition from North Carolina Governor Michael F. Easley.
Posted 3/3
Utah poets and musicians, organized by Sam Jackson and others, celebrate Cowboy Poetry Week in conjunction with this First Annual Utah, Arizona, Nevada (& Neighbors) Cowboy Poetry Gathering & "Old Timers" Get Together in Kanab, Utah, April 25-27, 2008. Read about the event here.
Posted 3/3
Posted 3/3
Jon F. Noland, Seward County Community College Library Director in Liberal, Kansas, has organized a Cowboy Poetry Shindig: A visit with Ron Wilson from the Lazy T Ranch, 12:10 pm to 12:50 pm, April 16, 2008. The event, sponsored in part by the Memorial Library of Liberal, Kansas, is open to all. Contact jon.noland@sccc.edu for details.
Posted 3/3
Texas writer and poet Linda Kirkpatrick is pursuing a Cowboy Poetry Week proclamation from Texas Governor Rick Perry.
[photo of Linda Kirkpatrick by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Posted 3/3
Minnesota rancher, writer, and poet Diane Tribitt is pursuing a Cowboy Poetry Week proclamation from Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Posted 3/3
The Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry has requested a letter of recognition for Cowboy Poetry Week from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Posted 3/3
Missouri poet Glen Enloe
is pursuing a
Cowboy Poetry
Week proclamation from Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.
Idaho writer and poet
Smoke Wade is pursuing a
Cowboy Poetry
Week proclamation from
Idaho Governor Butch Otter.
[photo of Smoke Wade by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Posted 3/3
South Dakota radio broadcaster and director of the
Heritage of the American West show,
Posted 3/3
Oregon poet
Van Criddle is
pursuing a
Cowboy Poetry
Week proclamation from Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.
Posted 3/4
Oklahoma rancher and poet Jay Snider
is pursuing a
Cowboy Poetry
Week proclamation from Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.
Posted 3/4
South Dakota's monthly
Heritage of the American West show, directed by
Francie Ganje and produced by
Jim Thompson and
Creative Broadcast Services (CBSI)
will celebrate
Cowboy Poetry
Week on the April 16, 2008 show in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Posted 3/4
Songwriter, singer, and poet
Doc Stovall of The
Booth Western Art Museum,
organizer of the
Annual Southeastern Cowboy
Gathering in Cartersville, Georgia, has received a proclamation from
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, proclaiming
Cowboy
Poetry Week.
Posted 3/5
Poet, writer, and cowgirl Rhonda
Sedgwick Stearns is pursuing recognition for
Cowboy
Poetry Week
from
Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal.
[photo of Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Posted 3/7
Poet and reciter
Dick Morton and poet and writer
Jane Morton are pursuing recognition for
Cowboy
Poetry Week
from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.
Posted 3/7
Ann Blackford/Gila Valley Cowboy Poets
are pursuing recognition for
Cowboy
Poetry Week
from Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano.
Posted 3/7
Utah rancher and poet
Paul Kern is pursuing recognition
for
Cowboy
Poetry Week from Utah Governor Jon M. Hunstman Jr.
Posted 3/7
The Gila Valley Cowboy Poets
will once again
celebrate
Cowboy
Poetry Week Friday, April 25 at an open house event, 11 - 4 at the
Safford City Graham
County Library at 808 7th Ave. in Safford, Arizona. More information
about performers and activities are forthcoming.
Posted 3/10
The Missouri Cowboy Poets will celebrate
Cowboy
Poetry Week at the
10th Annual Missouri Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Mountain View,
Missouri, April 25-27, 2008. The three-day event includes twenty four poets
from Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas
and Iowa.
Posted 3/10
North Carolina poet
Jim
Hawkins has received a
Cowboy
Poetry Week letter of recognition from North Carolina Governor Michael F. Easley.
Posted 3/11
View the official documents of recognition received to date:
Proclamation from Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (obtained by Hal Swift).
Letter of Recognition from North Carolina Governor Michael F. Easley
(obtained by
Jim
Hawkins).
Posted 3/11
April 3, Burbank Library, Burbank, Washington. Annual poetry slam and contest 2-8:30 PM. Cowboy poetry entries encouraged; Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue special guests at 7 PM.
April 20 Touchet Valley Western Show, Ye Town Hall, Touchet, Washington. Poet Clark Crouch and Western Swing diva Barbara Nelson join Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue for an all-ages show of cowboy poetry and music. Shows at 2 and 6:30 PM; $5/general admission.April 21 Dayton Memorial Library, Dayton, Washington, 3-4 PM. Children's cowboy music and poetry event featuring Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue
April 21 Weller Public Library, Waitsburg, Washington, 5-6 PM. Community cowboy poetry and music get together. Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue host local poets and musicians.
April 22 Prescott Library, Prescott, Washington, 7-8 PM. Community Cowboy Poetry Week celebration. Winners of youth cowboy poetry and art contests announced. Cowboy poetry/prose/music book and CD donations (generously provided by Clark Crouch, Doris Daley, Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue, Rib Gustafson, Rockin' HW, Smoke Wade, Paul Zarzyski, Mick Vernon, Baxter Black, and others TBA) presented to the Prescott Library. Local poets and musicians perform. 7-8 PM. Community Cowboy Poetry Week celebration. Winners of youth cowboy poetry and art contests announced.
April 23 Touchet Community Library, Touchet, Washington 5-8 PM. Friends of the Touchet Library sponsor an evening of Dutch Oven cooking, cowboy poetry contest, music by Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue; dancers and other performers to follow.
April 24 Cowboy-movie themed fundraiser for the Liberty Theater in Dayton, Washington with cowboy poetry and music by Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue.
April 25 Cowboy Poetry and Music by Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue, Tuxedo Bar & Grill, Prescott, Washington. 509-849-2244
Updated 4/7
An audio essay
by Julia Keller on the PBS
The News Hour
(Thursday, March 13, 2008) reports on the role of libraries today. The
segment refers to the recent study, "Information
Searches That Solve Problems: How People Use the Internet, Government
Agencies, and Libraries When They Need Help," by the Pew Internet &
American Life Project and the University of Illinois. The study was funded
by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which has a
media release about
the study and a link to the report.
Posted 3/14
Texas
writer and poet
Linda Kirkpatrick will present a Cowboy
Poetry Writing Workshop on Saturday, April 26, 2008 for the
Abilene Writer’s Guild,
in Abilene Texas, in celebration of
Cowboy
Poetry Week.
[photo of Linda Kirkpatrick by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Posted 3/17
South Dakota ranchwife and top poet
Yvonne Hollenbeck shares her plans for
Cowboy
Poetry Week, with her signature humor and a good dose of reality:
Being that so many are preparing to have special events and workshops for Cowboy Poetry Week, I thought I should try and do the same, therefore, I am launching the first annual Cowboy Poetry Week at the Hollenbeck Ranch. It starts on Monday, April 21, and ends on Saturday, April 26.
Because we will probably have somewhere in the vicinity of five to six hundred baby calves on the ground by the 21st, I will begin the week by attempting to clean the mud room, which will consists of removing tracked-in manure stains, remnants of cleanings (afterbirth) and all the other ugly things that get tracked into the mud room. There are usually stains down the cupboard and on the floor from mixing milk bottles for orphan calves that will also need cleaning. The washer will probably be going full blast cleaning calving rags and rugs. I need to start bagging ice. Thus begins preparation for the big event on the 26th!
Tuesday will probably be the day I drive 50 miles to Valentine to get vaccine, propane for the branding stoves, and groceries. After spending several thousand dollars on those items (and another small fortune to gas up the pickup truck), I will return to the ranch and attempt to find a place to put my purchases as the spring cleaning venture has barely begun. If there is time, I will take down the Christmas lights and clean up around the house yard and bag some more ice.
Wednesday comes the big event. The annual garage cleaning! One can only imagine the work involved and miles walked carrying things to the shop, indoor arena, garden sheds, basement, brooder house, chicken house, barn and tack room. The walls are wiped down and the floor is scrubbed with Pinesol. There are also two refrigerators in the garage that need cleaning...badly! One is for vaccine and one is for food and pop, so it is a necessary chore.The vaccine is rearranged and outdated bottles are discarded. Cases of pop purchased in Valentine are put away and more ice is bagged.
Thursday will be reserved for hauling chairs and tables into the garage and setting up the serving area. Beds are made with fresh linens and the entire house is spiffed up. Several batches of rolls are baked as well as several batches of cookies. I need to bag more ice.
Friday is one big day of cooking. Huge pots of potatoes are boiled and mashed and prepared; "branding beans" are prepared; meatballs are browned; swiss steak is browned; pies are baked; etc., etc. Company starts arriving today and by bedtime, all spare beds are filled as well as tummies.
Saturday, April 26: Rise about 5:00 a.m., and prepare a big breakfast for the roundup crew. Rounding up begins at 7:00 and salads are prepared and all the food prepared yesterday is removed from refrigerators and placed into slow cookers. All morning is reserved for cooking and approximately 30 people are fed dinner (that's the noon meal on a ranch); dishes done; cooking begins for supper (that's the evening meal on a ranch). The roundup crew has the cow/calf pairs all gathered and calves sorted off into two separate branding pens. Branding begins approximately 1:00 p.m. I will have the meal on for approximately 50 people (to be fed in the garage) when they are through, about 6:00 p.m.
NOW, if anyone needs fodder for writing cowboy poetry, there will be plenty at the Hollenbeck ranch during Cowboy Poetry Week...inside and out. You've only learned of the agenda of the ranchwife. I'm sure the rancher could have an interesting lineup of events to write poems about too. Happy trails.
See Yvonne Hollenbeck's poem, "Calving Time," here.
Posted 3/18
South Dakota radio broadcaster and director of the
Heritage of the American West show,
In 2006, Francie Ganje was the first to pursue a governor's proclamation and to inspire others to do so.
Posted 3/19
Colorado musician Rex
Rideout (Time
Travel Music) takes part in two events celebrating
Cowboy
Poetry Week:
April 20, 2008, Conifer Library, 3 to 4 PM. Rex Rideout's performance will focus on Jack Thorp's legacy and the centennial of Thorp's 1908 Songs of the Cowboys.
April 25, 2008, 7-8:30 PM: Rex Rideout joins cowboy poet John Nelson at the historic Leslie J. Savage Library, Western State College of Colorado, Gunnison, Colorado. Read more about this event below.
[photo by Mark L. Gardner]
Updated 4/4
The
Booth Western Art Museum,
sponsors of the
Annual Southeastern Cowboy
Gathering, have a statewide Youth Cowboy Poetry Contest,
opened to students in grades 5 -12, with winners announced for Cowboy Poetry
Week. The top fifteen finalists competed at the Booth Western Art Museum on
Saturday, March 8, 2008 as part of the Cowboy Gathering. Three finalists
in each category return to the Booth to compete for cash prizes in the final
competition on Saturday, April 19, in Cartersville, Georgia, in recognition of
Cowboy
Poetry Week.
Following is a media release about the student finalists:
Booth Western Art Museum Announces Finalists of
2008 Youth Cowboy Poetry Contest
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – The Booth Western Art Museum is pleased to announce the finalists of the 2008 Youth Cowboy Poetry Contest. The contest was open for students in three age groups: grades five and six, grades seven and eight and grades nine through twelve. Students selected from topics relative to the theme The Spirit of the American West and submitted their entries to a panel of judges. The top fifteen semi-finalists in each age group competed at the Booth Western Art Museum on Saturday, March 8 as part of the Cowboy Gathering.
The finalists will return to the Booth to compete for cash prizes in the final competition on Saturday, April 19, 2008 in honor of National Cowboy Poetry Week.
Finalists in the 2008 Cowboy Poetry Competition include:
Grades 5 and 6
Joseph Nease from Cartersville, Ga., Bartow County 4-H
Victoria Staley from Cartersville, Ga., Cartersville Middle School
Lauren Nicole Seymour from Cartersville, Ga., Cartersville Middle School
Grades 7 and 8
Ben Vagase from Cartersville, Ga., Cartersville Middle School
Maria Cabanas from Cartersville, Ga., Cartersville Middle School
Mallory Fleming from Cartersville, Ga., South Central Middle School
Grades 9 through 12
Rachel Potter from Rydal, Ga., Adairsville High School
Omicha Stapleton from Peachtree City, Ga., McIntosh High School
Kayla Frazier from White, Ga., Adairsville High School
About the Booth Western Art Museum
The Booth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is an 80,000 square foot museum located in Cartersville, Georgia, where guests are invited to explore the American West through contemporary Western artwork. The Museum also houses a Presidential Gallery, Civil War art gallery, and Sagebrush Ranch – featuring hands-on art activities. Visitors to Booth Museum also enjoy the intimate downtown setting with unique specialty and antique shops, boutiques and nationally featured restaurants all within walking distance of the Museum. Open since August 2003, the Booth Museum is the only museum of its kind in the Southeast and is the second largest art museum in the state of Georgia. To learn more about the Booth Western Art Museum, visit www.boothmuseum.org.
Posted 3/26
The Western Heritage Show
celebrates
Cowboy
Poetry Week on April 18, 2008. The show broadcasts every Friday from 10:00 to
noon on KRLC in Lewiston, Idaho. Popular disc jockey "Toe Tappin"
Tommy Tucker features cowboy poetry and Western music and the phone lines are
always open to callers. Tommy will be calling CowboyPoetry.com for a live
interview on the
Cowboy
Poetry Week show.
See our feature about the Western Heritage Show here.
Posted 3/26
Minnesota rancher, writer, and poet Diane
Tribitt has received a proclamation from
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. recognizing Cowboy Poetry
Week. See the proclamation here.
Posted 3/27
From
Agri-News
editor Tami Jo Arvik Blake:
Once again Agri-News, a weekly general ag newspaper based in Billings, Montana, is celebrating Cowboy Poetry Week with our annual cowboy poetry contest. The contest is only open to Agri-News subscribers, but we do offer free two-month trial
subscriptions to new subscribers. For more information on subscribing, visit www.cattleplus.com.The poems in the Agri-News contest can rhyme or not, but we do require stanzas and that the subject matter focus on cowboys, cowgirls, or ranch life. We're looking for poems measuring no more than 400 words in length. Entries should be typed. No more than one entry per person, please.
We'll accept entries in three age groups: adult (19+), upper division youth (13-17), and lower division youth (8-12). Entries will be judged on creativity and the writer's ability to portray our Western lifestyle.
Winning entries will print in the Agri-News. We have 23,000 subscribers living all across the nation so that's a lot of eyes
looking at the winning poems!The deadline to enter is April 4, 2008. Submissions (subscribers only) can be mailed to Agri-News Poetry Contest, PO Box 30755, Billings MT 59107, or email editor@imt.net. Any entries should include the author's name, address, phone number, and age category.
Posted 3/27
From Ann Blackford
and the Gila Valley Cowboy Poets:
Celebrating Cowboy Poetry Week 2008 in Safford, Arizona! For the third consecutive year Gila Valley Cowboy Poets will partner with the Safford City Graham County Library for the library’s annual Open House on April 25. From 11 am until 4 pm, the library invites the public to come in, hear and see demonstrations of library services and enjoy cowboy poets, musicians, storytellers and the Gila Valley Cowboy Poet Students performances throughout the day. The highlight of the day will be a very special guest star, Americas #1 selling cowboy music performer, Michael Martin Murphey who will make an appearance.At 7 pm on April 25, the doors open at the Safford Center for the Arts for a Michael Martin Murphey concert sponsored by Gila Valley Cowboy Poets, Inc. and McMurray Communications. A multi-award winning performer and member of the Western Music Hall of Fame, Murphey not only sings the songs of the cowboys, he walks the walk—as a rancher, a saddle-up-and-ride cowboy and a dedicated preservationist of American Cowboy Western history and of the land.
Tickets are available at the Safford Graham County Chamber of Commerce and Richards Music in Safford. Adults $15, students $10.
For more information call 928-348-7663.
Updated 4/10
South Dakota poet Slim McNaught and singer and songwriter Hank Harris (www.hankharris.com) appear on the April 16, 2008 Heritage of the American West show in Spearfish, South Dakota, celebrating Cowboy Poetry Week.Popular broadcaster Jim Thompson and Creative Broadcast Services present Heritage of the American West, with "music and poetry of the great American Cowboy" on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM (MT). Produced and hosted by Francie Ganje, the show brings top talent from across the West to an appreciative audience. The show takes place before a live audience at the High Plains Heritage Center in Spearfish, South Dakota and is broadcast simultaneously on the web (archived web broadcasts are available).
Visit the Heritage of the American West web site.
See our feature about the Heritage of the American West here.
Posted 3/31
Tom and Donna Hatton bring
cowboy poetry and music to Colorado schools in celebration of
Cowboy
Poetry Week:
April 14, Woodland Park Middle School. Cowboy poetry and Music. Woodland Park,Colorado
April 29, Cheyenne Mountain Elementary School, Pioneers Days. Colorado Springs, Colorado
May 2, Pikes Peak Elementary School, Barnyard Bash. Colorado Springs, Colorado
[photo of Donna Hatton by Lori Faith Merritt, www.PhotographyByFaith.com]
Posted 3/31
Karen Neurohr, OSU Librarian and Cathryn Christensen, Outreach Coordinator, OSU Rodeo Booster Club co-coordinate the event, whose sponsors are the OSU Library, Friends of the OSU Library, OSU Rodeo Association and OSU Rodeo Association Booster Club. “Our event is a little early this year because of final exams,” stated Neurohr.Karen Neurohr shared a photo was created to use in the library and for the Cowboy Poetry Week poster presentation she made to the Oklahoma Library Association conference in 2007:
Updated 4/1
Posted 4/1
Wyoming poet, writer, and local historian Jean Mathisen Haugen writes regularly for the Lander Journal. She shared her recent, timely column that touches on Western poetry roots, local poets, National Poetry Month, and Cowboy Poetry Week.
OLD NEWS
A POEM AND A PEN IN THE INKWELL© 2008, Jean Mathisen Haugen
April is celebrated across the U.S. as National Poetry Month and the week of April 20-26, 2008 is Cowboy Poetry Week.
I have been writing poetry since the age of 8—which goes back quite a 'ways in itself but I am not quite yet one of the oldtimers.
When Lander's first grade school was started in 1877 and at many of the one-room school houses throughout the county, one of the popular forms of learning poetry was to memorize and recite such long pieces as Longfellow's "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" or the popular Yukon gold rush poetry written by Robert Service, such as the "Cremation of Sam McGee" or the "Shooting of Dan McGrew" and many others. I have a small book Readings and Recitations that was used by a young school girl in Lander in the 1890's. Rolla Burch's father was an early day blacksmith at Fort Washakie and later held a two year term as Sheriff of Fremont County. She has marked her favorite poems, many of which were written about England, Scotland, Ireland, and the eastern portion of the United States. I remember my uncle, K.C. "Tex" Irvine, reciting poetry he had memorized some 50-60 years before in the one room school near the ranch where he'd grown up on Sage Creek. Tex was also a self-taught guitar and fiddle player. Back in those days, entertainment did not come in the form of a DVD or CD's or TV's—it came by rhymes, recitations, dances and music.
Cowboy poetry and what I like to call "historical" poetry is based of course upon the landscape and the tales of the old west. What a lot of people may not realize is, many of the old cowboy songs actually came from Irish, English, Scots and Welsh tunes that were brought over in the 1600's and 1700's by those who settled in the eastern U.S. Over time different tunes evolved into our own brand of music. "Streets of Laredo" was originally an Irish song about "The Unfortunate Rake" (who died a rather sad death); "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" was originally a sea chanty—"Bury Me Not In the Deep Blue Sea," and "Get Along Little Dogies" came from another Irish tune, "that you know the baby is none of your own!" They were a lively bunch, the Irish!
Lander had its own share of early writers and poets. Mark Countryman (my uncle Tex's grandfather) settled out on the Sweetwater in the early days and was "invited" to participate in the lynching of Ella "Cattle Kate" Watson and James Averill in 1889. He declined the invitation because he felt they had not been stealing cattle. Countryman was a talented poet and wrote a book of poems based on local legends such as "The Legend of Bull Lake" and one about the hanging of Cattle Kate. His book, "Echoes of the West" is long out of print but some members of his family still have a few copies.
A more well known cowboy poet, was Colonel Tim McCoy, who came to Wyoming in the early part of the last century and was around Lander and Thermopolis a great deal. He became a good friend of old timer, Ed Farlow, and learned Indian sign language from both Farlow and the Arapahoes he made friends with. At the end of World War I, McCoy was appointed Wyoming's Adjutant General and that is where he gained the title of Colonel. He became involved in helping movie companies film early westerns and helped get Indians to take part in the movie "The Covered Wagon" which was mostly filmed in Utah. Later Ed Farlow and McCoy traveled with a group of those who had taken part in the film to put on a preview to the movie in Hollywood, and shortly thereafter traveled to England to promote the movie over there. One of the better known Arapahoes who made the trip was Goes-In-Lodge who was quite amazed at the subway system in New York City. He remarked, "White man much the same as a prairie dog—goes down one hole and up another!" (He was well known for his sense of humor). Tim McCoy later owned a ranch near Thermopolis and was the star of several western movies filmed near Fort Washakie; in later years he owned his own Wild West Show. He is known to have written several poems. Jules Farlow, son of Ed Farlow, also wrote some poetry though I have only run across a couple poems in my wanderings.
Eva Lambert wrote poetry in the early days also and compiled the history pages that were in the local paper in the 1930's. Many oldtimers submitted reminisces of the days they had known during the South Pass Gold Rush and the early times of Lander. My great great uncle, Ernest Hornecker, wrote a few poems about family doings, as did my great uncle Ralph Reynolds Hornecker (Ralph was sent with the National Guard down on the Mexican Border during the raids by Pancho Villa in New Mexico in 1916—he was not very fond of building latrines and dealing with the cacti and wrote a poem or two about his opinions).
Porter Coolidge was a lawyer in Lander around its first big boom right after the coming of the railroad. He too was a talented poet and song writer and had a volume of poetry published. Judge E.H. Fourt, first judge of the Ninth Judicial District in this area in the 1920's and 30's also wrote poetry, songs and did several articles on the wilderness areas in the Wind River Mountains. However, having heard one of his songs played—he was not much of a tunesmith.
A later well known poet from Lander is former Wyoming Poet Laureate, Robert Roripaugh, who has written two books of poetry Learn to Love the Haze and The Ranch. He has also written several works of fiction. The poetry in his poetry volumes is largely based on local incidents and local people in the Lander area. Robert served as State Poet Laureate for 7 years from 1995 to 2002. His parents owned what is now called the Bear's Ears Ranch. He currently lives in Laramie, Wyoming but still considers Lander "home."Cowboy poetry has become a very popular form of the genre over the past 25 years and gatherings have been held across the west since the first big gathering was held at Elko, Nevada in 1985. Poets from this area who have participated there include Dr. Kent Stockton of Riverton, Echo Roy Klaproth of Shoshoni, Blondell Mathisen Whitehead and her daughter Irene Henricksen Pecoraro of Lander (both deceased). Cowboy poetry gatherings have been held nearly continually since 1987 at Riverton and on several occasions in Lander, Dubois and Thermopolis . I have participated in all of these along with participating at Big Timber, Montana, Salmon, Idaho, St. Anthony, Idaho and the Cowboy Songs and Range Ballads program at Cody. Cowboy Poets of Wind River was formed at the Riverton Gathering a few years ago to keep the interest up in this unique brand of both humor and tragedy.
The earliest forms of poetry were chants or ballads composed by bards who performed for Celtic chieftains and later kings of England, Scotland and Ireland and other countries. It was a way of memorizing historical events and glorifying the deeds of the people and the kings—so it does tie in strongly with history. Much of the poetry I have written has not been strictly cowboy poetry—I have also written many poems about historical incidents in Wyoming and the west, along with about 30 songs. Other poets currently in the Lander area include Mickey Douglas, Gerry Sowers, Ada McDonnel, the late Idabel Corbett Cramer and her late brother Glenn Corbett, Lynn Hendrickson Lucas, Verlin Pitt and his brother Rick Pitt and many, many others.
We have our own rich culture here and just as in the days of the bards, poets continue today to write and make known the riches of a great land and great people. A celebration of National Poetry Month and Cowboy Poetry Week is highly appropriate.
I'll include a poem I wrote to celebrate Lander that was published several years ago.
The Valley at HomeHome for me iswherever I light,to lay my head down,to rest for the night.But the home of my heartas always and is yetthe wide Lander Valleywhere I got my feet wet.Once touched by its watersor a soft mountain breeze,I was haunted by visionsof green growing trees;or the time, late in May,when the lilacs all bloom,filling the valleywith a flowing perfume.Where meadowlarks singwith notes blowing sweet.And a friend's still a friendwhenever we meet.Popo Agie rolls bluefrom Sinks Canyon on down,racing wild through the rockson its way through the town.There the foothills rise greenabove ledges of red.The whole place soothes my soulbeyond words to be said.This verse is an anthem,a love song in short,to the valley of home—and this rover's home port.© 2008, Jean Mathisen Haugen
This poem may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.
Posted 4/1
Texas
writer and poet
Linda Kirkpatrick will present cowboy
poetry to the students of the Leakey
Independent School District on the afternoon of April 22, 2008.
As announced previously, she'll present a program at the Real County Public Library in Leakey, Texas for Cowboy Poetry Week, at a "Brunch Among the Books" event at 10:00 AM, April 22, 2008. Linda Kirkpatrick has worked with the library to create a cowboy poetry exhibit celebrating Cowboy Poetry Week.
She'll also conduct a Cowboy Poetry Writing Workshop on Saturday, April 26, 2008 for the Abilene Writer’s Guild, in Abilene Texas, in celebration of Cowboy Poetry Week.
[photo of Linda Kirkpatrick by Jeri L. Dobrowski; see her gallery of western performers and others here.]
Updated 4/3
From Tom Weatherby and Dennis Golden:
Cowboy Entertainers Celebrate Cowboy Poetry Week at Gold Hill Hotel
Singer songwriter “Texas” Tom Weatherby and range poet Dennis Golden will perform at the historic Gold Hill Hotel, Gold Hill, Nevada, with a special dinner/show celebration of Cowboy Poetry Week on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.
Nevada’s oldest hotel will feature a special buffet dinner after which the cowboy duo will perform both original and traditional poetry and song as part of the Comstock hotel’s popular Tuesday night entertainment series.
As Ambassadors for the Nevada Rangeland Resources Commission, they present both original and traditional renditions to help audiences better understand the special challenges the modern rancher faces today from urban encroachment to environmental and bureaucratic challenges.
A Texas native, Weatherby grew up singing and playing in a family with a strong music tradition influenced by their neighbor Bob Wills. An accomplished guitarist, his Texas accent lends authenticity to a great selection of cowboy songs.
Golden grew up in the 40’s and 50’s in the small ranching community of Cedarville, in remote northeastern California. His thought provoking and often-humorous original poetry on contemporary ranching is punctuated with rib tickling poems from the past.
The special buffet dinner and show is $25.00 per person. Buffet from 5:00 til 7:00 pm with entertainment beginning at 7:30 pm. For information and reservations call: 775 847-0111.
Posted 4/4
Marvin
O'Dell's three-hour
Around the Campfire show will feature cowboy poetry for the
week starting April 19, 2008 in celebration of
Cowboy
Poetry Week.
The show airs six times a week on Heartland Public Radio, which broadcasts 24 hours a day on the internet.
Marvin O'Dell was named the 2007 Radio DJ of the Year by the Western Music Association (WMA).
CD submissions are welcome for consideration for airplay. See our feature about Around the Campfire here and listen to the show on Heartland Public Radio here.
Posted 4/4
Poet and reciter
Dick Morton and poet and writer
Jane Morton have received a proclamation
from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, recognizing
Cowboy
Poetry Week.
See the proclamation here.
Posted 4/7
American Cowboy includes cowboy poetry in each issue. Utah writer and poet Rod Miller is the magazine's Guest Poetry Editor for 2008. See our feature on the magazine here.
You can add your own event to the magazine's on-line listings. Visit the American Cowboy web site for on-line features and more information.
Posted 4/7
As part of their efforts, they've collected books and CDs from writers, poets, and musicians for the Prescott Library in Prescott, Washington. Among those who generously provided materials to date are Clark Crouch, Doris Daley, Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue, Rib Gustafson, Rockin' HW, Smoke Wade, Paul Zarzyski, Mick Vernon, Baxter Black, and Western Jubilee Recording Company.
See a list of all of their Cowboy Poetry Week activities above.
Updated 4/8
South Dakota radio broadcaster and director of the
Heritage of the American West show,
Photo by Heather M. Murschel, Managing
Editor, Black Hills Pioneer, Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish, South Dakota Mayor Jerry Krambeck presents the city's Official Cowboy Poetry Week Proclamation to Heritage of the American West Director, Francie Ganje. The community's western legacy, with its slogan of "Best In The West," is the basis of the poem, "Queen of the Cowtowns," by multiple-award- winning author and poet, Yvonne Hollenbeck. The poem is included in her book, From My Window, which received the Will Rogers Medallion Award.
Francie Ganjie has also obtained a 2008 proclamation from South Dakota Governor M. Michael Rounds.
In 2006, she was the first to pursue a governor's proclamation and to inspire others to do so.The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Three CD includes a radio Public Service (PSA) Announcement by Francie Ganje.
Updated 4/9
The Leslie J. Savage Library,
Western State College of Colorado, Gunnison, Colorado,
shares its event poster and information about the forthcoming Cowboy Poetry
Week event:
Savage Library, Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado.Celebrate Cowboy Poetry Week! An Evening of Cowboy Poetry
Rex Rideout (Time Travel Music) of Conifer, Colorado and John Nelson of Gunnison will present a program of cowboy poetry on Friday, April 25, 7:00 pm in the historic
Rex Rideout has been performing the music of the American West for the last 25 years. He approaches "cowboy music" as a historian and musicologist. Rex is a long-time student of the music and songs of the 19th-Century American West. With Mark Gardner from Cascade, CO, Rex co-authored the award winning book and CD, Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys. Originally published in 1908, Songs of the Cowboys by Jack Thorp was the first publication of cowboy poetry. For this performance, Rex will primarily recite some of the classics of Cowboy Poetry from the late 1800s and early 1900s as well as perform poems that are known as songs.
Rex participates in the Rural Library Project, sponsored by the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry to serve rural communities as it works to preserve and promote cowboy poetry and Western heritage.
A long-time Gunnison resident, John Nelson is in his 30th year of operating the Gunnison Country Guide Service. About 20 years ago, while guiding trips into the backcountry, John began reciting cowboy poetry to entertain guests and wranglers. Since then, he has performed for numerous gatherings, guest ranches, radio and television, and other events. He has released a CD of poetry, Word Wranglin’ and Wrymin’, and a video, Just One More Day. His first book, My Participle’s Danglin’ was a local bestseller and a new book, My Participle’s Danglin’ Again is due out soon along with a new DVD. John will be performing some of his locally inspired favorites as well as a few of the old classics.
Updated 4/10
Oklahoma State University's
Daily O'Collegian reported on the
preparations for the 3rd
Annual Oklahoma Cowboy Poetry and Songs event in an article by Eli
Nichols,
"Group
to Preserve Cowboy Poetry."
The 3rd Annual Oklahoma Cowboy Poetry and Songs event was held April 8, 2008 at the Oklahoma State University Library in Stillwater, in conjunction with
