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Western journalist and photographer Jeri Dobrowski's monthly column, Cowboy Jam Session: Western Culture News & Reviews, is a regular feature of the Tri-State Livestock News and appears in other publications. She welcomes submissions for consideration.  We're pleased to carry her monthly Cowboy Jam Session column, which is posted below. Jeri is an award-winning writer and photographer with works appearing in publications nationwide. Among others, she has had feature and cover articles and photos in American Cowboy, Cowboy Magazine. Persimmon Hill, Country Woman, Grit, True West, and other publications. Cowboy Jam Session: Western Culture News & Reviews debuted in the Tri-State Livestock News in January 2005. Not just a book review column, Cowboy Jam rides a slightly wider circle encompassing an expanded offering of audio recordings and films. It’s a bigger herd but one whose bloodlines are familiar: historical characters and events; ranchers and ranches; cowboys, cowgirls and rodeos; poets and poetry; singers and songs. The delivery may be different but the common thread encourages readers to ponder, preserve, and perpetuate the heritage of the American West. Dobrowski explains, "When cowboy poets and entertainers get together, one of their favorite things to do is 'jam.' Simply put, they circle the chairs or lay claim to a chunk of ground, pull out the guitars and start picking and telling. You never know what you'll hear: a timeless campfire classic, a freshly-penned composition, an occasional poem. Cowboy jammin' exposes participants and onlookers to fresh material and different voices. It broadens the horizons and excites the senses of Western heritage devotees." Dobrowski welcomes submissions for consideration. Send CDs, DVDs, books, and magazines to Jeri L. Dobrowski, Cowboy Jam Session, 1471 Carlyle Rd. S, Beach, ND 58621. You may reach her at 406-795-8168 or at CowboyJam@robscabinets.com. Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News Tri-State Livestock News is published weekly with a focus on the cattle industry. Additional coverage is devoted to the equine, sheep and bison industries, as well as pork, crops and hay. Established in 1963, the paper boasts a paid circulation of 10,700 households, rural addresses and ag-related businesses in all 50 states. The primary circulation area includes South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Colorado and Iowa.  Jeri Dobrowski is in good company at the Tri-State Livestock News, along with with Baxter Black and other columnists.  Books, CDs, videos and event announcements can be sent to: Jeri L. Dobrowski Cowboy Jam Session 1471 Carlyle Road S Beach, ND 58621 406-795-8168 email    copyright 2008, Jeri Dobrowski National Folk Festival, Butte, Montana, 2008 Working as a free-lance photographer/journalist since 1981, Jeri Dobrowski’s images appear on and in cowboy poetry and music recordings, books, programs and posters. Visit more of Jeri Dobrowski's professional photo galleries here, which include photographs of Western interest and from various gatherings and events: the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering; the National Folk Festival; the Heritage of the American West show; and others. Also view the Western Entertainers and Personalities Gallery. The site also includes examples of her CD package and web banner designs. View the galleries at www.jeridobrowski.com, where you can also order photos. Read more about Jeri Dobrowski below. Also see some of her photography here at the BAR-D.

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2012

January

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2011

December
November
October

September
August
July

June
May
April

March
February
January
 

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Find columns from 2005 though 2010 on page 2

photo by Jen Dobrowski

About Jeri Dobrowski

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
January 2012

Paper Trails

A friend told me recently that a family member is posting installments from a homestead-era diary on Facebook. Descendants from around the world are sharing in the adventure as the entries are revealed bit by bit. My friend expressed the awe she feels at reading the entries detailing her ancestors’ emigration from Sweden to Minnesota.
 

Bette Wolf Duncan shares family stories in Dakota Prairie Memories (Xlibris, Corp., 2011, 102 pages, b/w photos & illustrations, paperback, ISBN: 978-1456853655). A comfortable blend of poetry and prose—illustrated with drawings, photographs, and paintings— Duncan introduces each chapter with a historical essay on the era. Using the essays as a springboard, she captures snippets of life on the Northern Great Plains. Characterizing the Native Americans, explorers, pioneers, homesteaders, and cowboys who came and went in the region, she says, “... people of the West were unique—more independent, self-reliant, and imbued with a rock-hard inner strength. They were survivors that sacrificed blood and sweat to overcome severe hardships.”  

“First Year on the Prairie” is an account of what it might have been like inside a sod shanty for settlers on a wintry Sunday afternoon in the 1870s. The portrayal captures the close confinement in a cold and hostile climate, lacking even the most basic conveniences we now consider necessities. Other poems I particularly enjoyed are posted on Duncan’s page at cowboypoetry.com, among them “Empty-Cradle Sad,” “Westward Ho, Their Wagons Rolled,” “My Pretty Patch of Green,” and “Makin’ Do,” a Great Depression remembrance.

The paperback Dakota Prairie Memories sells for $19.99 plus shipping. It is also available as a hardback and e-book. Purchase online from Amazon.com (sneak peek inside), from Xlibris (excerpt posted) at www.bettewolfduncan.com, or from Bette Wolf Duncan, 1755 S.E. 108th Street: Runnells, Iowa  50237; (515) 966-2461.

In her acknowledgments, Duncan mentions the treasure trove of documents in her late sister’s genealogical archives:  immigration papers, property transactions, newspaper articles, homestead affidavits. Among others, federal land patents (also called land title records), were issued as a reward for military service, in return for cash payments, and to homesteaders who completed the proving-up process. 
 

Should you be interested in tracking down your family’s land patents, complete the form at the Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records Automation web site: www.glorecords.blm.gov. As noted, the database “provides live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1820 and the present.” There are also images related to survey plats and field notes, dating back to 1810.

Searching by state and last name is a simple process that generates remarkably fast results, including relatives who may have settled nearby. Each patent includes the legal land description and the date of issuance. Print them or save them as PDFs.
Either way, there’s no charge.                          

 

 

Amy Hale Auker shares her insights into the life of a modern day cowboy and his family in Rightful Place (Texas Tech University Press, 2011, 156 pages, hardback, ISBN: 978-0896726796). The 30 essays, with a foreword by Linda M. Hasselstrom, take the reader beyond the stereotypical setting sun, farther off the beaten path than some might be comfortable venturing. From the Texas panhandle to Arizona’s mountains, Auker travels on roads where 4-wheel-drive vehicles are a necessity, not a status symbol; where cell phone coverage is the exception, not the rule.  

Seduced by the prairie, Auker’s love affair with the wide-open took root in childhood. Her marriage to a working ranch cowboy only deepened her affinity for remote locations and the harsh, demanding lifestyle. Probing beneath the surface of cowboying for wages, Auker dissects the romanticized notions of the job. As a daughter, a wife, a mother, a cook, and a ranch hand, her experiences are varied. She is at once the woman on a neighboring ranch and someone I’ve never met. 

Painfully honest, Auker mines the marrow of her soul, refining everyday occurrences into precious vignettes from the contemporary American West. I caught my breath when she was startled by a rattlesnake, felt the tedium of moving cattle, peered into a stock tank watching goldfish flit about, longed to taste her homemade tortillas, and felt the rain drops as she miscarried alongside a muddy dirt road. 

Rightful Place sells for $20 plus shipping at www.amyhaleauker.com. It is also available at Amazon.com where most reviewers have given it the highest 5-star rating. Contact Auker at 101 N. Mount Vernon Ave., Prescott, AZ  86301.
 

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email
 

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
December 2011

Christmas Gift Ideas #2

As promised last month, this installment of Christmas gift ideas focuses on music and books:

Twelve Mile Road is the latest CD from Western entertainer Dave Stamey. The inspiration for the title track–dedicated to his father–came from Stamey’s growing-up years in Yellowstone County, Montana: “There’s an old gravel road / following the section line / out where lives are held together / with sweat and baling twine ...” [Find all the lyrics here.] 

Other highlights from the 12 original tracks include “Blackjack Was a Mule,” with its powerful images of a mule toiling in an underground mine; “Never Gonna Rain Again,” painting a picture of “cracks in the ground that run straight to hell”; and the playful “Comfortable Shoes,” an example of the fun Stamey injects into his live performances. 

Now residing in California, the personable singer/songwriter has been a cowboy, a mule packer, and a dude wrangler. Stamey says he prefers taking the stage to being stomped by angry horses. He’s done well for himself by staying out of harm’s way. Stamey’s "The Vaquero Song" was included among a 2009 Western Horseman article entitled "The 13 Best Cowboy Songs of All Time." (Listen to the song, illustrated with the photography of David Stoecklein at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh0DQ80kZoY.)

Described in Cowboys & Indians magazine as the Charlie Russell of Western Music, True West magazine bestowed the title “Best Living Western Solo Musician” on Stamey in 2010. He’s taken home multiple awards from both the Western Music Association and the Academy of Western Artists, including Entertainer and Songwriter of the Year. 

Twelve Mile Road sells for $15 plus postage. Order from HorseCamp Music, PO Box 189, Orange Cove, CA  93646; 805-929-1543; www.davestamey.com. Check out his previous releases. I am partial to Wheels and It’s Just a State of Mind, but you really can’t go wrong with a Dave Stamey CD.

 

For the little farmers in your life, consider the Farm Country Tales series by Gordon W. Fredrickson. These beautiful, full-color hardback books are built to last, which is exactly what Fredrickson had in mind. His goal is to create keepsake books that accurately reflect what it was like growing up on a small farm. A retired teacher, he was raised on a 120-acre dairy farm near New Prague, Minnesota.

There are four titles in the series, which show the activities of the Carlson Family from January to December 1950. Written in delightful rhyme, they include Farm Country Picnic, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve. More are planned, including New Year, which begins with the parents waking the kids up on New Year's morning 1950, telling them it’s 30 degrees below and the water is frozen in the barn. These books would jump-start reminiscing among retired farmers and “senior” farm kids, so don’t limit potential recipients just to youngsters. 

Also by Fredrickson is the If I Were a Farmer series: Tommy’s Adventure; Nancy’s Adventure; and Field Work. Suitable for preschool through third grade, these stories feature contemporary youngsters daydreaming about living on a farm. Tommy likes tractors like his great-grandfather drove. Nancy is partial to big, modern tractors. (Double click on book cover for a peek at the storyline and illustrations: gordonfredrickson.com.)

If I Were a Farmer titles sell for $11.95 each (postpaid in continental US). Farm Country Tales are $17.95 each (postpaid continental US). Order online at gordonfredrickson.com. If you prefer to pay by check, contact Gordon Fredrickson directly at 952-797-6169. 

Skip Halmes has two lighthearted books that moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas will enjoy–especially the dads: The Cow Whisperer: Stories from the Big Sky Country of ranchin’, romance and rugrats (2001, 134 pages, paperback), and Dances with Hooves: More stories from the Big Sky Country of mad cows, mothers and beer ( 2007, 170 pages, paperback). Consisting of short essays penned for a newspaper column, the collections are long on humor.  

I had been told to expect a few laughs from Halmes’ stories, but his portrayal of everyday news from the Mission Road region west of Great Falls, Montana, exceeded my expectations. My husband agrees, as I read a good many of the stories aloud. Think Rodney Nelson, Dean Meyer, Lee Pitts, and Andy Nelson—with Garrison Keillor thrown in for good measure. The superb illustrations by R. Tom Gilleon (www.timberlinestudios.com) are a bonus.

The Cow Whisperer is priced at $9.95 + $3.50 s/h. Dances with Hooves is $10.95 + $3.50 s/h. Order from Quixote Press, 3544 Blakslee St., Wever, IA  52658; 800-571-2665. Autographed copies are available for $15 each (postpaid) from Skip Halmes, PO Box 89, Cascade MT  59421; 406-899-2603.
 

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621;  email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
November 2011

Christmas Gift Ideas #1

Over the past few months I’ve made some great finds for those on my Christmas list. It is with delight that I report most of the items are useful, inexpensive, or something the recipient specifically requested. In some instances they are all of the above.   
 

Among the gifts I’ll be wrapping this season are bottles of Kent Rollins’ Red River Ranch Seasoning. My husband and I used the seasoning at Rollins’ Red River Ranch Chuckwagon Boot Camp in April 2011. After tasting pork chops, steaks, and  potatoes prepared with the blend, we’re hooked. We use it exclusively on steaks and chops. Seven ounces of Red River Ranch Seasoning sells for $9.95 plus $5.25 shipping. Order online at www.kentrollins.com or contact Shannon Rollins, 3930 Benvanue Rd., Byers, TX  76357; 580-471-3775. 

While you’re at it, order a copy of Kent’s soon-to-be-released cookbook, On the Trail and in the Kitchen, due out in late November or early December. We cooked out of Kent’s previous 54-page, spiral-bound cookbook while at camp, but it’s out of print. My two personal favorites from it are Green Chili Hominy Casserole and Upside Down Pizza. Kent indicated that he’s including such tried-and-true recipes in the new collection, along with recent additions to his campfire repertoire. On the Trail and in the Kitchen sells for $18 plus $5.25 shipping. (A container of seasoning and a cookbook comes to a total of $33.20, including shipping.) 

I previously suggested sending the hard-to-shop-for Western heritage buff in your life to the Red River Chuckwagon Boot Camp on the Oklahoma/Texas border. I’m reiterating that suggestion. Participants learn how to cook chuckwagon staples like those served up on cattle drives and wagon trains. Kent also teaches the proper ways to season and clean cast iron and shares his experiences and knowledge from the catering business. It is an unforgettable experience. Special rates are available for couples. For more on the class, go to the web site or contact Shannon (see above).
 

 

Earlier this year, I brought you word of the Buck Brannaman movie which was showing in theaters and making headlines at film festivals across the country. (Watch the trailer at www.buckthefilm.com) The 88-minute, PG-rated Buck continues to win awards, including Best Documentary at DocuWest, Golden, CO. Director Cindy Meehl followed Brannaman on his clinic circuit, capturing 300 hours of footage. A longtime student of horseman and clinician Ray Hunt—who learned from natural horsemanship clinician Tom Dorrance—Brannaman was the inspiration for the Nicholas Evans novel, The Horse Whisperer.

Recently released on DVD, the movie would be a superb gift. Buck is available from Amazon.com for $12.49. It is eligible for free shipping on orders over $25. Amazon also carries books by Brannaman which, depending on availability, may include The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America's Most Renowned Horsemen, and Believe: A Horseman's Journey.

 

Even in this electronic age, wall calendars still serve a purpose—most especially in homes of busy families. I favor those with generous squares to record important dates and notes of interest. If they feature interesting artwork or photos, all the better. For years I’ve purchased the Cowgirls of the Old West Calendar: Historic Photographs & Illustrations published by ZON International Publishing. The 2012 edition features advertising illustrations and historic photos dating from1880 to1930. Cowgirls sells for $13.95 plus shipping. Buy two calendars for $27.90 and get a third calendar free. Order from ZON International, P.O. Box 6459, Santa Fe, NM 87502; 505-995-0102; www.zonbooks.com.
 

 

If your interests run toward farming, consider Mort Künstler's American Farm Wall Calendar by Lang. It features images of American farm life when horses and steam engines were commonplace, although early gasoline-powered tractors and vintage automobiles are also shown. Renowned for his detailed, historically-accurate depictions, Künstler painted this series under the pen name Emmett Kaye. The 2012 American Farm Wall Calendar retails for $15.99. I purchased mine from www.calendars.com and paid $1 for shipping. 

I first became familiar with Künstler's work (mortkunstler.com) on a visit to the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia (www.boothmuseum.org). His paintings are among those in the Civil War Gallery. The Booth houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country.
             

Next month’s gift ideas includes music and books, among them the children’s series Farm Country Tales and If I Were a Farmer by Gordon W. Fredrickson.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
October 2011

Tackling Fall Chores

A mild autumn is providing ample opportunity to accomplish end-of-season chores. Around us, neighbors are planting winter wheat and hauling hay. Above average temperatures are a boon to those with sunflowers. Still, it’s a race to beat the snow. 

Here at home, we fixed fence so the cow/calf pairs could glean wheat stubble and grass around the edges of the fields and in fence lines. We also tackled some long-awaited landscaping, installed railing on the deck, and cleared off the garden. 

Back at my desk, the CDs submitted for this column caught my eye. It occurred to me that perhaps I should apply the last-hurrah-of-fall attitude to my indoor space as well. Three recordings in particular stood out. Although slated for inclusion, they missed out on previous thematic discussions. Maybe that’s a good thing, meaning they defy being pigeonholed.    

When working cowhands tell me they respect an artist, I want to know more about them. Such was the case with ranch cowboy and contemporary singer/songwriter Daron Little. He’s got a loyal following who suggested I give a listen to his latest project, Ranch Cowboy Music. (Hear full-length tracks of “A Cowboy’s Day,” “Ol’ Cowpuncher,” “Her Caballero,” and “Wyoming” at www.ranchcowboymusic.com.)

Growing up in central Louisiana, Little was exposed to country, bluegrass, rock-a-billy, and blues, all which flavor his guitar style. On a family vacation to Wyoming when he was 11, he got his first taste of the West. Today, Little cowboys at the headquarters of the Silver Spur Ranch in Encampment, Wyoming. His work-a-day world infuses his lyrics with muscle and blood. They ring clear in his own compositions and in those he sets to music, such as “Of Horses and Men,” a poem written by Jay Snider. Little's observations remind me some of Dave Stamey. He's a rare and authentic talent among today's cowboy/western genre.  

The 14-track Ranch Cowboy Music sells for $18 postpaid from Daron Little, PO Box 314, Encampment, WY  82325; 307-710-3174. For credit card orders, downloads, and music samples, go to www.ranchcowboymusic.com.

Rex Rideout sent me his Ladies’ Choice in January. I was bowled over by the package design, which is both elegant and playful. Rideout describes the CD as “a bouquet of courtship and affection by request.” Translated, it’s a collection of songs friends and family urged him to record through the years. It’s an eclectic lot. The 16 tracks are based in the Old West, with “a broad brush of styles ranging from the 1700s to this decade.” Two Stephen Foster tracks made the cut:  “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Hard Times Come Again No More,” and there are cowboy classics such as “Mexicali Rose,” “Border Affair,” and “The Colorado Trail.” For good measure, Rideout included a handful of original compositions he penned, as well as one by saddle pal Joyce Woodson. (Hear sound clips and/or order at www.cdbaby.com/cd/rexrideout.)

I first met Rex at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, where he and fellow Old West music revivalist Mark Gardner performed. The style in which Rideout plays (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo, tin whistle) and sings is from another time, hence the name of his website: www.timetravelmusic.com. Watch for Rideout playing the fiddle during a saloon altercation in Cowboys & Aliens starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. 

Ladies’ Choice sells for $17 postpaid. To order, contact Rideout at timetravelmusic@yahoo.com; (303)273-3839.

Almeda (Terry) Bradshaw, an Oregon native who now calls Montana home (www.almedam2bmusic.com), is among a handful of performers who have taken a fancy to the poetic works of Rhoda Sivell. In 2010, Bradshaw released the folk recording, Voices from the Range, Almeda Terry Sings the Poetry of Rhoda Sivell. It’s a quality project combing Bradshaw’s musical talents and Sivell’s words. Besides rhythm and lead guitar that Bradshaw plays on the album, she also plays the violin, cello, and piano. 

Born in Ireland in 1874, Rhoda Cosgrave immigrated with her family to Canada. They homesteaded near Whitewood, Saskatchewan, where they raised cattle and grain. Following her marriage to Charles Sivell, the couple lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before homesteading near Medicine Hat, Alberta. A poet and author, Rhoda’s preferred subjects were the life of the pioneers, their hardships and joys. In 1911, she published Voices from the Range. It’s these images from the Canadian prairie that Bradshaw set to music. (Listen to “They Keep a-Stealing on You in the Night” at www.almedam2bmusic.com/discography.html)

 Voices from the Range sells for $18 postage from Almeda Bradshaw, 1650 Nahmis Ave., Huntley, MT  59037; 406-348-3282. It is also available at www.cdbaby.com. (For more on Siveill and to read her poetry go to www.cowboypoetry.com/rhodasivell.htm.)
 

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
September 2011

Getting the Old-Time Cowboy Story Right


In a few weeks, a friend from Leakey, Texas, will arrive in Montana. A writer and historian, she wants to see where John Leakey lived. (The town of Leakey was named for his grandfather.) The younger Leakey came north, trailing longhorns and stayed. Corresponding from opposite ends of the now-defunct beef corridor, we’ve planned an itinerary that includes museums, libraries, a bookstore, and two ranches where Leakey resided.

Before running his own ranch in western North Dakota, Leakey was foreman of Pierre Wibaux’s W Bar Ranch headquartered in eastern Montana. Born into a family of French textile industrialists, Wibaux was a contemporary of Theodore Roosevelt and fellow French cattle baron, the Marquis de Mores. A savvy businessman, Wibaux bought up cattle that survived the winter of 1886-87, which killed up to 70 percent of the stock in the region. As such, he was in an advantageous position when prices and demand subsequently peaked. An article in Montana, the Magazine of Western History states that in the 1890s, Wibaux owned 65,000 head of cattle, making his one of the largest cattle herds in the world.

 

Leakey was a strapping fella who stood 6 ft. 6 in. A top cowhand, he also broke horses. He was among the founders of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, serving as the organization’s president from 1929-1939. When he died in 1959, Leakey left behind two books detailing life in the Old West: Grandad and I: A Story of a Grand Old Man and Other Pioneers in Texas and the Dakotas, as told to Florence Fenley (John Leakey Publisher, 1951), and The West That Was, from Texas to Montana, as told to Nellie Snyder Yost (Southern Methodist University Press,1958).

My pal wants to see the countryside Leakey described in his first-person accounts. She also has questions that aren’t answered by either book. I am more than happy to help her toward those goals.

 

As I considered her desire to get the story straight, I thought of Ramon F. Adams. Born in Moscow, Texas, in 1889, Adams was a trained violinist who, after breaking his arm and wrist, ran a wholesale candy company. He authored at least 20 books on cowboys and the American West. His research as a folklorist is regarded as exemplary, appealing to both serious scholars and casual readers. Adams’ stories tell what really happened on the frontier in an engaging style.

A web entry posted by the University of Texas says Adams’ literary production was so great and his books so highly regarded, that one Western author opined, “Except for O. Henry, Webb and Dobie, [Adams] is the most quoted author Texas ever had.”

I keep a copy of Adams' Western Words: A Dictionary of the American West (University of Oklahoma Press, 1944) near my desk. A collection of 5,000 words in the cowboy language, it serves not only as a dictionary but a thesaurus. It’s been reprinted and is readily available as a paperback.

Also close by is The Old-Time Cowhand (The Macmillan Company, 1961) with its grand Nick Eggenhofer illustration on the cover. Akin to an encyclopedia, it explores the cowboy in detail. As noted on the dust jacket: “Here is everything about the real, ungilded, old-time cowhand, what he did, wore, thought. His horse, guns, rope, clothing, sleeping bag; his eating and drinking habits; his attitude toward God, women, bosses, saloons, rodeos; his unwritten code of conduct–everything about this rare and fascinating breed is told with an absorbing authenticity.”

I adore Adams’ treatment of the chuck wagon in Come And Get It (University of Oklahoma Press, 1952). It’s not a cookbook–although there are directions for basics such as coffee and sourdough biscuits. Rather, it’s a study of the cooks and mobile kitchens that have fed cowboys for nearly 150 years.

There are several Adams’ books on my wish list: Cowboy Lingo (Houghton Mifflin, 1936), with cowboy saying and euphemisms by categories including the ranch, duties, tack, roundups, branding, and square dancing. Reprinted in 2000; available in paperback.

The Best of the American Cowboy (1957), an anthology of passages from books Adams considered to be the best about the cowboy.

Burs Under the Saddle: A Second Look at Books and Histories of the West (1964), an evaluation of inaccuracies regarding outlaws in 400-plus books. More Burs Under the Saddle (1979) is a revised version.

From the Pecos to the Powder (1965), cowboy Bob Kennon’s firsthand account of ranch life in the desert Southwest, as told to Adams.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
August 2011

Wet Cycle, Dry Cycle, the Great Depression

With unusually abundant moisture in the Northern Great Plains this year, the countryside was greener in August than we typically see in June. For miles in any direction, verdant pastures and fields met the horizon. Could this be, I asked myself, what this country looked like when my ancestors arrived, during the seductive wet cycle of the early homestead era?

Having worked as a carpenter and sharecropper, my paternal great-grandfather arrived in Montana in the fall of 1910. He came west with dreams of farming and ranching. By 1919, following an extended dry spell, he had disposed of his stock and was operating a road ranch, general mercantile, and United States Post Office.

Upon returning from WWI, his son–my grandfather–purchased the mercantile. In 1920, he married my grandmother. During the ensuing drought and Depression, they nurtured not only a family but a large vegetable garden, cattle, hogs, horses, and grain. Grandad said the main reason they stayed as others moved away was they couldn’t find a buyer. They were sustained by his partial veteran’s disability, his position as postmaster, and delivering government food aid. In the mid-30s, they traded the store and post office for a section of land. 
 

A new CD by Wrangler Western Heritage-award winners Andy Wilkinson and Andy Hedges captures the gritty essence of drought, despair, and survival. Mining the Motherlode embodies the struggles of those who experienced the Dust Bowl and Great Depression–along with those facing the current drought decimating Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of other states in the region. 

At the core of the album is the life-sustaining water of the Ogallala Aquifer. Lying beneath approximately 174,000 semi-arid acres in eight states (South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas), the underground reservoir is mined via water pump. Municipalities, agriculture, manufacturing, and recreation rely on the dwindling supply. The water table has been declining for years; it cannot keep up with demand.  

While I had previously read about the situation, nothing else so convincingly delivered the message as this album. Wilkinson’s original songs and poetry (www.andywilkinson.net), paired with arrangements of Dust Bowl and Depression-era songs by Woody Guthrie, Maybelle Carter, the Bently Brothers, and Uncle Dave Macon (the Grand Ole Opry’s first star), paint a picture that’s hard to shake. I’ve played the 18 tracks several times (see a complete listing here), listening again and again to the masterful word pictures, hoping to better understand those who lived through the economic and environmental disaster.

It’s the story of hundreds of thousands of American families and their communities:  part history lesson; part prophetic warning. Given the subject matter, it is surprisingly entertaining. Wilkinson’s writing is imaginative, colorful, and deeply insightful. Beyond his smart wordsmithing and performance, credit for a job well done goes to reciters and vocalists Andy Hedges (www.andyhedges.com), Alissa Hedges, and Emily Arellano. I will be very surprised if this fine example of Folk Americana isn’t rewarded with a repeat Wrangler Award–as presented by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Mining the Motherlode may be purchased as downloadable (MP3) files or as a traditional CD. Prices range from $9.99 to $17.98. Look for it at www.yellowhousemusic.com, on iTunes, or at CDBaby where you can listen to brief track samples: www.cdbaby.com/cd/andywilkinsonandyhedges.

 

Feeding and clothing a family during the Depression took a great deal of effort and ingenuity. All were admonished to “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” An unassuming collection of nostalgic and heartwarming, first-person accounts of getting by when times were hard is contained in Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930's and More From Your Kitchen Today (Volume 1) by Rita Van Amber and Janet Van Amber Paske (Van Amber Publishers, 1986, 306 pages, wire bound, ISBN: 978-0961966317).

Part oral history and part cookbook, I reveled in both aspects. Given current economic concerns and rising food costs, it would be helpful for families looking for ways to stretch their budgets. Technically, it could have benefitted from a more thorough editing. However, that hasn’t deterred from its popularity. My copy is the 34^th printing!

There are five volumes in the Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression series. Order directly from the publisher for $15 each, plus $5 shipping. Order as many books as you want, you pay only $5 shipping per order:  Van Amber Publishers, 862 E Cecil St., Neenah, WI  54956-3418; (920) 722-8357. Amazon.com also carries the books and offers a “Look Inside Feature” for your previewing pleasure.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
July 2011

Observing National Day of the Cowboy with Buck Brannaman and the Florida Crackers
 

 

In 2004, American Cowboy magazine launched the National Day of the Cowboy. The following year, the late Sen. Craig Thomas (Wyoming) introduced the first resolution designating the fourth Saturday of July as such. The date coincides with Cheyenne Frontier Days. The magazine continues to celebrate the event, as does the active National Day of the Cowboy organization headed by Bethany Braley (www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com).

This year, Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi sponsored the resolution declaring July 23, 2011, the National Day of the Cowboy. The resolution has to be reintroduced each year until it is officially designated a national day of observance by the President. (Read the official resolution at www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=sr112-165.)

Communities and groups across the country sponsor events acknowledging the role ranchers and cowboys fill in the Nation’s history, economy, and entertainment. For my part, I thought it a perfect time to take a break from yard and garden work to watch two documentaries that recently arrived in my mail box.

 

Showing in theaters since June 17, 2011, Buck delves into the life of Buck Brannaman, the inspiration behind the main character in the Nicholas Evans novel, The Horse Whisperer. Evans spent 10 days with Brannaman while researching the book. A longtime student of horseman and clinician Ray Hunt—who learned from natural horsemanship clinician Tom Dorrance—Brannaman shares his insight into the equine mind during his own four-day schools. On the road nine months out of the year, Brannaman says he more often finds himself helping horses who have people problems than people who have horse problems. (For more on his clinics, see http://brannaman.com.)

Directed by Cindy Meehl, the PG-rated Buck is amassing a string of awards, among them the 2011 Sundance U.S. Documentary Competition Audience Award. Following Brannaman from clinic-to-clinic, Meehl shot 300 hours of footage for the 88-minute narrative. Also included is vintage footage of Brannaman and his trick-roping brother, Smokie, back when the pair performed as an RCA/PRCA specialty act, back when the brothers were being physically abused by their father. (View the trailer at www.buckthefilm.com.) Throughout, viewers come to know the real Brannaman, portrayed by Robert Redford in the Hollywood adaptation of the novel.

Redford acknowledges that he was put off by Brannaman’s cowboy garb during a pre-production meeting, thinking it was a costume. Eventually, Redford came to understand Brannaman’s authenticity and no-nonsense depth of character. Brannaman hired on as a movie consultant and doubled for Redford, who was starring for the first time in a movie that he also directed. When a Hollywood stunt horse failed to accomplish a scene after a full day of shooting, one of Brannaman’s horses–with a bit of impromptu training–accomplished the task in less than 20 minutes. 

There are no Hollywood trick horses in Buck, only real-life horses with real-life problems. The most compelling is an aggressive, predatory stud brought to a colt-starting class. Brannaman remains calm, attempting to gentle and saddle the animal. When it becomes clear it presents too much of a danger to have it in the class, he patiently coaxes it into a trailer. The encounter delivers a message transcending horses and corrals. That was the director’s goal: “To inspire, motivate and teach through principles of respect, partnership and trust rather than anger, fear and intimidation.”

For a list of theaters showing Buck or to purchase the DVD, available in October, go to www.buckthefilm.com or www.facebook.com/BUCKFilm. For more information, contact Cedar Creek Productions, P.O. Box 1015, Georgetown, CT 06829; (203) 664-1509.    

Brannaman is talking to studio executives about a feature film based on his own book. Look for it in theaters in the next couple of years. 
 

 

I first became acquainted with representatives of Florida’s cattle industry at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. "Crackers," as they are called, were the spotlighted cowboy culture at the 2010 gathering. An 87-minute high-definition, feature-length documentary, Florida Crackers: The Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida, was released in April 2011. (Watch video trailers at http://vimeo.com/floridacrackermovie.)

While cattle ranching may initially seem out of place in Florida, in fact the state has been home to cattle and horses since 1521. Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon introduced the first animals into North America, in what is now Florida. In the early 1800s, settlers began moving into the region, rounding up herds that had not only survived but thrived.

Having experienced a summer of heat and high dew point temperatures here on the Northern Great Plains, I marveled at scenes of cowboys going about their business on the Coastal Plains. Running 100 head of cattle on 300 acres is appealing, but that enticement is tempered by the alligators and wild hogs that roam the area.

If you fancy yourself a cowboy or cattleman, you’ll enjoy Florida Crackers. It sells for $23.90. Order at www.selfdiscoveryproductions.com/florida.html; 954-891-4963.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
June 2011

Red Books. Blue Books. Old Books. New Books.

As the school year came to a close, several of us from the area joined students at Lincoln Elementary for Local Authors’ Day. As published writers, we shared a bond with students who had recently completed their own books. We all understood selecting a topic, finding suitable artwork, and bringing it together for printing and binding.

To illustrate my presentation for the primary grades, I pulled a selection of books from the shelves in my home. Among them were what I consider to be my prettiest book, plainest book, most beloved book, oldest book (published in 1887), and newest book (released February 2011).
 

The latter had additional significance as the author had grown up in a bookless home. Despite having only a phone book to read, the writer’s father stirred a love for words in the boy as together they tramped and fished the Wisconsin woods. Coupled with an attentive ear that found beauty in ethnic names and the local vernacular and slang of a mining town, the boy went on to earn a Masters of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. Paul Zarzyski, the formerly bookless boy, is now one of this country’s most respected Western poets and an award-winning author. 

The ploy worked perfectly. Most of the students’ eyes widened; some mouths dropped as they tried to envision their homes without books. Having made a single copy of their project, one little first grade girl couldn’t fathom why Zarzyski wouldn’t have kept the book I was holding for all to see. Bless her heart, she didn’t understand that writers have lots of copies made and that they are quite happy when they sell. 

The teachable moment sprang from Zarzyski’s latest book entitled 51: 30 Poems, 20 Lyrics, 1 Self-Interview (Bangtail Press, 2011, 260 pages, paperback ISBN 978-0982860113). I knew he had been working on it for several years. In January, he sat across from me on the plane from Salt Lake City to Elko, Nevada, for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, studying a long-awaited proof copy.

A recipient of the Montana Governor’s Arts Award for Literature and a Wrangler Western Heritage Award Winner from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Zarzyski placed the probing self-interview after the poems and lyrics. I confess, I read the interview first. I reasoned that reading the prose would help me better understand the man behind the poetry and songs. It was like eating dessert first. Satisfied, but feeling a bit guilty, I then read the poems and lyrics as presented.  

Zarzyski’s works are rich and revealing, sweet and sorrowful, playful and poignant. Fans will recognize some of their favorites and find new pieces to savor. If you’re new to his style, take small bites and chew slowly.

51: 30 Poems, 20 Lyrics, 1 Self-Interview is available at Amazon.com and through other booksellers. For more on Zarzyski, go to www.paulzarzyski.com or www.cowboypoetry.com/paulzarzyski.htm.
 

 

Another new poetry book of note is by Utah writer Rod Miller: Things a Cowboy Sees and other poems (Port Yonder Press, June 1, 2011, 98 pages, paperback ISBN 978-1935600077). Containing just shy of 50 pieces, Miller says the collection features some of his best attempts at using poetic form: “From the lighthearted to the contemplative, traditional to experimental, formal to unstructured, it is a representative travelogue of my journey through cowboy and Western poetry.”  

It is dedicated to Jesse Mullins, founding editor of American Cowboy magazine, whom Miller credits as “the editor who first saw fit to apply ink to my poetry.” Since then, more than 100 of his poems have appeared in print, many American Cowboy, Western Horseman, and RANGE. Indeed, Miller is one of the genre’s most published and respected writers.

 A graduate of Utah State University, Miller earned a journalism degree while riding broncs for the college rodeo team. Preferring to focus his time on writing, reading, and learning rather than memorizing, you’ll not find him on stage at a gathering. He will be seated in the audience. The introduction does a fine job of explaining cowboy poetry’s origins and evolution and Miller’s association with the art form. Other essays, as well as a generous sampling of his poetry can be found at www.cowboypoetry.com/rm.htm

Things a Cowboy Sees is available both in print and in a Kindle edition at Amazon.com. It is also available from the author. Send $11.95 to Rod Miller,1665 East Julho Street, Sandy UT 84093. For additional titles by Miller, including the historical novel The Assassination of Governor Boggs released May 9, 2011, go to www.writerrodmiller.com 

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
May 2011

Feeding a Crew from a Chuck Wagon

More than two inches of rain fell in this part of the country over the weekend, much of it driven by 25-mph winds. We had house guests and planned a Dutch-oven cookout. Given the mud and the challenge of getting a fire to burn, we opted for grilling on the deck instead.

Pity the frontier chuck wagon cooks who didn’t have an option. They had to contend not only with rain and wind, but with scorching heat and blowing sand, snakes, insects, marauding varmints, and mischievous cowboys. Dry firewood and potable water were never guaranteed. Their pantry contained a precious few shelf-stable ingredients, and meat was kept without the benefit of refrigeration. Quite likely, they moved camp between meals, driving a team of half-broke horses. No wonder cookie had a reputation for being cranky! 

Tagged with handles as colorful as the characters filling the position–grub spoiler; biscuit roller; pot rustler; cocinero; lizard scorcher; stew builder–they customarily drew twice the wages paid to cowboys. A proficient hash slinger could satisfy a crew that worked from before dawn until near dusk or send them searching for a job with better grub.

Texan Charles Goodnight is credited with crafting the first chuck wagon in 1866. I’ve thought a lot about the challenges of feeding a crew from the back of one since participating in Kent Rollins’ Red River Ranch Chuck Wagon Cooking School in early April. Quite the opposite of the weather pattern we’re experiencing, temperatures in northwest Texas that week were more than 100 degrees, and the grass was tinder dry. (Watch a video on the school at kentrollins.com/media/cowboy-cooking-camp.

The most comfortable part of the day sped by while preparing coffee and a hearty breakfast for the 20 cowboys who arrived before sunup. In the predawn hours, the fire stoked in the cook stove was appealing. By midmorning it had lost its charm, but no matter, there were two more meals to prepare.  

Refilling water barrels with a garden hose hooked to a stock-water hydrant was a comparable luxury, as were ice chests that kept perishable foods cold. If those creature comforts threatened to dilute the chuck wagon experience too much, sleeping in a cowboy tepee added a bit of realism. Coyotes,  armadillos, scorpions, fire ants, and spiders scurried about the campsite. Kent cautioned us to turn our boots upside down before putting them on in the morning, in case one of the latter had settled in overnight. For more on the camp, contact Rollins at 303-219-0478; kentrollins.com.

Some of my favorite books are about old-time ranch cooks and the simple but ingenious fare they served. Here is a short list of the best from my library:

Come and Get It by Ramon Adams; illustrations by Nick Eggenhofer. My copy is a 1952 hardback edition published by the University of Oklahoma Press.  However, the 170-page book was reprinted as a paperback in 1976 and 1984. It is readily available from used booksellers at Amazon.com.

Adams was a prolific author who wrote extensively about range cowboys. This volume, with its colorful stories and engaging drawings, describes the role of the cook who went out with the roundup crew or signed on with a cattle drive. It details what he fixed and how: mostly fried meat, dried beans, sourdough biscuits, stout coffee, and occasionally dessert. It was a fortunate crew whose cook made sweets with any regularity.  

Authentic Recipes from the Ranch and the Range, National Cowboy Hall of Fame Chuck Wagon Cookbook, by B. Byron Price (Hearst Books New York, 1995, 301 pages, recipes, photos, hardcover, ISBN 0688129897). Footnoted and with an extensive bibliography, it is easily the most thorough study of the chuck wagon.

As the former executive director of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Price drew on the extensive resources of the famed western heritage museum. Part One contains dozens of fascinating vintage photos coupled with cowboy lore; Part Two contains 100 ranch-style recipes. It is a treat for both the eyes and the palate. Look for it in western museum gift shops or from used booksellers.

Chuck Wagon Cookin' by Stella Hughes (University of Arizona Press, 1974, 170 pages, paperback, ISBN  978-0816504329). A skilled cook in her own right, Hughes relates stories and recipes from other cooks and former cowboys. Their combined experiences and tales of ingenuity and mayhem make for a deliciously entertaining read. Consider the 100+ recipes and home remedies a bonus! It is available from Amazon.com.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
April 2011

Celebrating the 10th annual Cowboy Poetry Week, April 17-23

 

"Pilgrim" © 2005, by Duward Cambell, duwardc@yahoo.com

As a loyal follower of CowboyPoetry.com, I check in regularly to see what’s happening in the world of western and cowboy poetry, music, festivals, film, and print. Among my favorite features are News, Picture the West, Poets, Musicians, & Others in the News in Print & on the Web, and New Cowboy and Western Poetry & Music Releases. Included this month is word of The Bar-D Roundup: Volume Six (2011), released in conjunction with the 10^th annual observation of Cowboy Poetry Week, April 17-23.
 

 

A spoken-word album, The Bar-D Roundup is an annual compilation of vintage and contemporary recordings of some of the best in classic and contemporary cowboy poetry. Co-produced by Margo Metegrano of The Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry (www.CowboyPoetry.com), and Andy Nelson of the Clear Out West Radio Show (clearoutwest.com), the 28-track album takes the listener on a memorable journey across the West. From the opening excerpt from Bruce Kiskaddon’s “Looking Back,” recited by Randy Rieman, to Sharlot Mabridth Hall’s “Beyond the Range,” delivered by Dick Morton, the selected poems speak to the toil and reward, solitude and friendships, sorrow and playfulness found in lives lived in the American West.  

Metegrano writes in a media release, “Cowboy poetry preserves a history as it tells the stories of our working West. As importantly, it conveys compelling modern accounts of an endangered way of life to those who may have little information about this important segment of our population. Cowboy poets are great ambassadors from the rural world.” 

Twelve tracks were recorded specifically for the project, adding freshness and energy to the sixth release in the series:  Linda Kirkpatrick reciting “Cattle” by Berta Harte Nance; Jay Snider reciting Sunny Hancock’s “The Bear Tale”; DW Groethe’s “This Old Post”; Jane Morton’s “Ground Tied”; Carole Jarvis’ “Lovin’ the Life”; Pat Richardson’s “The Evaluation”; Rod Miller’s “A Bolt of Broomtails”; Abi McWhorter reciting “Therapy” by her father, Larry McWhorter; Andy Nelson’s “The Box R Cavvy”; Jesse Smith reciting “Forgotten” by Bruce Kiskaddon; Dick Morton’s previously mentioned recitation by Hall; and lastly, a Public Service Announcement by singer and songwriter Brenn Hill.

The late Buck Ramsey’s 1993 recitation of “Windy Bill” is from the archives of the Western Folklife Center (WFC), recorded during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev. Rodney Nelson’s “Gift Rift” is also from the WFC archives, recorded during the 2007 gathering.

Rounding out the selections are pieces gleaned from artists’ previous recordings: Waddie Mitchell and Larry McWhorter reciting “Cowboy Count Yer Blessings”; Red Steagall’s “McCorkle and the Wire”; Don Edwards’ “The Devil’s Hatband”; Joel Nelson’s “The Song of the Packer”; “The Medicine Keepers” by J.B. Allen; Jerry Brooks reciting “The Old Prospector” by Badger Clark; Linda M. Hasselstrom’s “Death of the Last Cowhand”; Andy Hedges reciting Larry McWhorter’s “Trilogy for Cissy”; Doris Daley’s “A Baxter of Blacks”; Elizabeth Ebert’s “Cowboy Courtin’ Time”; Yvonne Hollenbeck’s “Sorting Time”; Sam Jackson’s “Comfort First”; and Bob Schild’s “Ode to a Friend.”

A narrative description of the tracks is posted online. Nearly as entertaining as the recordings themselves, it includes an introduction to the poems and a snippet of each.

A photo of cowboy, ranch manager, and Western-swing fiddler Frankie McWhorter graces the cover–Frankie and an attentive canine pal. Frankie was the late Larry McWhorter’s father and Abi McWhorter’s grandfather. The photo celebrates the commonness of life in rural communities of the real working West and the arts that are passed from generation to generation.

Copies of the album, along with Cowboy Poetry Week posters—this year featuring a painting by Duward Campbell of the late J.B. Allen and his horse Pilgrim—are offered free to rural libraries across the West through the Center’s Rural Library outreach project. Depending on where you live, your local library may have this year’s title, or others, for listening or lending.    

If not, The BAR-D Roundup is available for $20. It is also offered to new and renewing supporters of the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry. Send check or money order in U.S. funds (postage included for the U.S. and Canada; add $5 US for other countries) to CowboyPoetry.com, PO Box 330444, San Francisco, CA 94133. If you prefer, you can pay by a secure, on-line credit card payment at www.cowboypoetry.com/cd.htm#Order.

Should you wish to order previous releases, take advantage of these special bundles: The BAR-D Roundup Vols. Six and Five (2011-2010) postpaid (first class) for $35. Or select The BAR-D Roundup: Vols. Six-Two (2011-2007) postpaid (media mail), for $75.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
March 2011

Spring Fling

Montana singer and song writer Stephanie Davis played to a full house in our county seat of Wibaux, Montana, on March 19. Fortunately, the performance fell between major snow and ice storms, which is always a concern on the Great Plains this time of year.  

To close the evening, Davis sang “Wolves,” quite possibly her best-known composition, made famous by Garth Brooks. She also sang “Talkin’ Harvest Time Blues.” The latter is a playful romp about an overzealous catalog-shopping gardener who works manically to get everything planted, enlisting unwitting family members who drop by for a visit the day the order arrives. (Lyrics at www.stephaniedavis.net/talkin%27_harvest.htm). My husband and I may have laughed loudest, having retrieved our seed order from the mailbox on the way to the show. The fun continued afterwards as Davis shared her ideas with us about making a music video of the song.

“Talkin’ Harvest Time Blues” appears on Davis’ Crocus in the Snow album. Other popular songs from the CD include the title track, also appropriate this time of year, “Good Night Little Cowpup,” “Ikey,” and “Somethin’ ‘Bout Montana.” To order, send $17 (postpaid) to Recluse Records, 838 Countryman Creek Rd., Columbus, MT 59019; (406) 326-2180; www.stephaniedavis.net.

With spring’s arrival and talk of videos, here are two DVDs dealing with ranching and agriculture:
 

 

The Ranching Way of Life: San Luis Valley, Colorado takes a look at sheep and cattle ranching in the 30-mile-wide, 100-mile-long high-mountain desert valley between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains in south-central Colorado. The video was designed to deepen the understanding and appreciation for ranching and those raising the food we eat. Released in 2008 by the Saguache County Sustainable Environment and Economic Development, it portrays the seasonal work, personalities, and scenery found outside city limits.  

A cultural heritage and occupational arts project, there is superb footage of calving and lambing, grafting an orphan calf onto a mother who has lost her calf, along with branding, irrigating, and haying. There’s a 30-minute general audience version and a 26-minute youth version, which would be excellent for use in the classroom and for those who home school. 

The Ranching Way of Life sells for $12 (postpaid) from Peggy Godfrey, 19157 Co. Rd. 60, Moffat, CO 81143; (719) 256-4989.
 

Sky Settles Everything: The Wayne James Story is a 90-minute film produced by Oregon poet Verlena Orr about her 73-year-old cousin. James and Orr grew up in northern Idaho. He spent his life in stewardship of animals on the land; she earned a degree in poetry and made her home on the West Coast. They get back together to reminisce in the film. Scenes shot on location show James at work on the ranch and Orr reading her poetry amid the landscape that inspired it. (Watch the trailer at www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuYwWPrihos)

Orr says she initially planned to tape old-timers telling stories. The idea evolved into a documentary about James, who makes his living on a small, family-sized feeder-calf operation. It probes the generations and examines a deeply personal side of rural life. Footage from a dance at the grange hall is especially touching. (For more about the family and the movie: www.cowboypoetry.com/photowk54.htm)

Sky Settles Everything sells for $12 (postpaid) from Verlena Orr, 1907 NW Hoyt St., Portland, OR 97209-1224; (503) 224-1849.
 

 

If all this talk of videos and documentaries has you hungry for more, look into the Deep West Videos that premier each year during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. A project of the Western Folklife Center, the videos and slide shows tell first-hand stories from the rural West rooted in the values of life on the land.

Using digital communication tools, Western Folklife Center staff assists storytellers with these simple yet elegant home-made productions. From humorous to heartfelt, the subject matter and geographical distribution make clear the diversity found within the American West. One of this year’s shorts that was an audience favorite was filmed in Wyoming. It’s Time for Dandelion Wine by Madeleine Graham Blake follows Miss V the Gypsy Cowbelle through the steps of making dandelion wine: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul2qABYLy9M. 

For more on the Deep West Video project select “Audio/Video” at www.westernfolklife.org Annual compilations of the Deep West Videos are available for $20 each (plus shipping) from the Western Folklife Center Gift Shop, 501 Railroad St., Elko, NV 89801; (775) 738-7508, ext. 234; wfcstore@westernfolklife.org

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
February 2011

New(s) from Elko’s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering 

Strains of old-time, saloon-style piano music spill out the double doors of the historic Pioneer Building during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Located in downtown Elko, Nevada, the Pioneer is home to the Western Folklife Center and the headquarters of the popular annual event that draws folks from across the country and around the world.

 

Holding court at the back of the room, past the information table, past the handsome mahogany-and-cherry back bar, past old friends laughing and catching up is Dave Bourne, itinerant piano player extraordinaire. As much of a fixture at the gathering as any poet or singer, Professor Bourne churns out the festive music that adds a bit of magic to the Elko experience.

You’ve likely heard Bourne’s music; maybe even caught a glimpse of him on television. Along with projects on the History Channel, he was cast as the piano player in the Gem Saloon in episode #9 through #12 of HBO’s Deadwood. (Watch a video of Dave at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwXQTjBRP1M.)

Bourne has a variety of CDs, each priced at $17 (postpaid). There are six volumes of Saloon Piano, plus 19^th Century Favorites and Rarities and The Lobo Rangers Campfire Music Best of the Early Years: 1990-1995. For track listings or to order, go to www.saloonpiano.com. To order by mail, send check or money order payable to Dave Bourne, PO Box 173, Agoura Hills, CA  91376-0173.

 

Canadian poet and emcee Doris Daley was among those at the Pioneer enjoying the music and camaraderie. She is out with a new book: West Word Ho! The western poetry of Doris Daley (2011, 96 pages, 17 photos, paperback ISBN 978-0-9684530-5-6).

Known as one of the genre’s most disciplined writers and most polished stage performers, Daley selected some of her all-time, crowd-pleasing favorites for inclusion in this, her second book. Among my personal favorites are “Bones,” “Hands,” and “The Answering Machine.” If you’d care to take a bit of a test drive, read these selected poems at www.cowboypoetry.com/dorisdaley.htm.

Nestled within the book is an excerpt from Daley’s great grandmother’s journal. Mary Selves Daley came to Fort Macleod from Ontario in 1887, planning to live with her aunt for a short time. Mary’s uncle was stationed at the Royal North West Mounted Police barracks in Fort Macleod. But, Mary fell in love with a Mountie-turned-rancher and spent the rest of her life building a ranch and raising a family in southern Alberta. “From Mary’s Window” is Doris’ salute to the hardy pioneer women who came to a harsh frontier and stuck it out.

West Word Ho! The western poetry of Doris Daley sells for $25 (US), $22 (Canadian) postpaid from Doris Daley, Fiddle DD Enterprises, Box 103, Turner Valley, AB Canada  TOL 2AO; www.dorisdaley.com.
 

Standing head and shoulders above the crowd at the Pioneer, Hal Cannon made his way to the G Three Bar Theater next door for a show that debuted his first all-original self-titled album, Hal Cannon. As Founding Director of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Cannon is more often found working behind the scenes. On this occasion, he was joined on stage by Kate MacLeod and Phillip Bimstein for an enchanting set of history and mystery, jubilant celebration and soulful melancholy.

The playful tune of “Desert Home” still dances in my head from that evening. As I told Hal, it reminds me of something the Mission Mountain Wood Band might have recorded back in the mid-1970s. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Cannon delivered a tribute to soldiers affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Entitled "Soldier's Heart,” the term was used during the Civil War to describe the changes brought about by the traumas of battle. (For liner notes and lyrics: www.okehdokee.com.) 

There is great depth, vitality, and variety in the album’s 12 tracks, both in terms of the subjects and in the instrumentation. Kudos to Phillip Bimstein for the stellar arrangements which include fiddle, guitar, piano, bass, violin, oboe, English horn, mandolin, banjo, and drums. This is top-shelf Americana/Folk.

Hal Cannon sells for $16 (postpaid) from Hal Cannon, Okehdokee Records, 1257 E. 100 S., Salt Lake City, UT  84102; www.okehdokee.com.

The Western Folklife Center broadcasts shows from the Elko Convention Center auditorium during the Gathering. Watch cybercasts from the 27th Gathering free of charge at www.westernfolklife.org.

Applications are currently being accepted for poets and musicians interested in performing during the next Gathering (Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 2012). Submissions must be postmarked no later than March 31, 2011. For more information, contact the Western Folklife Center, 501 Railroad St., Elko NV  89801; (775) 738-7508; www.westernfolklife.org.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Cowboy Jam Session:  Western Culture News & Reviews
- by Jeri L. Dobrowski
       
January 2011

The Old West and the New West

The boundaries of the American West have been in flux for generations. For my German-born great, great-grandfather, it was Illinois. He put down roots near Peoria prior to the Civil War. His eldest son moved westward from there-to Nebraska and Iowa-before homesteading in eastern Montana. With the dry and dusty '30s, some within the family left for western Montana. During WWII, a good number worked in the defense industry, or were stationed in naval and air force bases, up and down the West Coast.

 

One of the most intriguing concepts to cross my desk deals with the western frontier. The Remembrance Album of Harriet Pruden by Richard K. Pate (2009, 152 pages, 4 images, paperback ISBN 978-1-60910-033-9) follows the aspirations and trials of young Harriet Pruden, who longed to see the frontier of her era: northern Indiana. Pate fuses 100 heartfelt, 19th-century pioneer-settler poems with a fictional narrative to escort readers along on the adventure.

Born into a prosperous Ohio family, Harriet's parents expected her to marry and settle in the college town they helped pioneer. But, Harriet fell for a young man who shared her dream of adventure beyond civilization. In
desperation, her mother enlisted townspeople to write poems to Harriet, encouraging her to abandon the folly. The poems were copied into a remembrance album and presented to Harriet. Although touched by the gesture,
it did nothing to dissuade her. (Read an excerpt from the book at www.booklocker.com/books/4507.html)

The album remained a work in progress, the last entry added in 1909. At one point, it was used as a school text. Pate presents the poems in chronological order: 1831 to 1836, Athens, Ohio; 1837 to 1852, Logan, Ohio, and Elkhart County, Indiana; 1853 to 1909, California. As Pate notes, Harriet's album "was almost continuously on the far western edge of our country. As the border to the States moved further and further west, so did the album and its owners."

The Remembrance Album of Harriet Pruden sells for $15.95 + $3.00 s/h (media mail; US addresses only). Order online from www.rkpate.com or via mail (check or money order) to RK Pate, 5341 Todd Rd., Sebastopol, CA 95472.

Northeastern Colorado takes center stage in Jane Ambrose Morton's In This Land of Little Rain (Cowboy Miner Productions, 2010, 131 pages, 28 images, paperback LCCN: 2010931921). Morton selected nearly 60 poems-plus three pieces of prose-for this, her second book of cowboy and western poetry. Her previous, Turning to Face the Wind, was a 2005 Willa Literary Award Finalist. (For more on Morton: www.cowboypoetry.com/janemorton.htm)

In This Land of Little Rain spans ninety years of the ranch where Morton was raised. She familiarizes us with the country, the people who lived their lives in stewardship of the land and animals, their sacrifices, the cyclical labor that followed the seasons. While the poetry was spawned by personal experiences, the story belongs to all who have roots in ranching. It expertly captures the essence of what it means to be a ranch family.

Two non-ranch pieces are worthy of note: "Coloring the Horses" and "The Men Who Rode With Custer Dakota Territory, May 1876." Both relate to General George A. Custer. "Coloring the Horses," about Custer's plan to color-code the troops' mounts, is the result of historical research and many rewrites. I know, because Morton shared the piece with me while she worked to perfect it.

In This Land of Little Rain sells for $13.95 + $4.50 s/h. Send check or money order to Jane Morton, 7961 East Natal Ave., Mesa, AZ 85209; 719-495-9304; dickandjane2@earthlink.net.

 

It's hard to get much farther west than where Janice Gilbertson lives, in the foothills of California's Santa Lucia Mountains. The range juts up from the Pacific Ocean on the west and tumbles and rolls down to the Salinas Valley on the east. This is the West that she imbues in the poetry and prose in Riding In (BK Publications, 2009, 24 pages, chapbook ISBN 978-0-9794521-3-0).

Gilbertson's coastal West is inhabited by pasture frogs, white-faced calves, and oak trees; seasoned with biscuits and milk gravy and the smells of a good tack room. A past performer at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in
Elko, Nevada, Gilbertson successfully ventured into free verse with "The Rough Stock Rider's Kid," which appears in this collection. (For more on Gilbertson: www.cowboypoetry.com/jgilb.htm)

Riding In sells for $11 postpaid. Send checks to Janice Gilbertson, PO Box 350, King City, CA 93930.

Submit items for consideration to Jeri Dobrowski, 1471 Carlyle Road S, Beach, ND 58621; email

© 2011, Jeri Dobrowski, All rights reserved
This column also appears at the Tri-State Livestock News
 

Read Cowboy Jam Session at the Tri-State Livestock News

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Find the 2005-2010 Cowboy Jam Session columns on page 2

 

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About Jeri Dobrowski

 

Working as a photographer and journalist since 1981, Jeri Dobrowski has been recognized for excellence in writing, photography, graphic design, and editing. Her projects have appeared in magazines such as American Cowboy, Persimmon Hill, Country Woman, Cowboy, and Grit; on calendars, billboards, monuments, posters, and recordings; and in books, newspapers, in-house newsletters, programs, web pages, and promotional packages. They are also archived in the permanent collections of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Dobrowski and her husband live in eastern Montana, not far from where four of her great-grandfathers homesteaded at the turn of the century. Born in Miles City, Montana, and raised on her family's cattle ranch and small-grains operation south of there, Dobrowski attended a one-room country school through the sixth grade. She was active in 4-H and FHA, showed registered Quarter Horses, and rodeoed.

Interested in writing and photography from an early age, she sold her first article for publication to the Montana Farmer-Stockman while still in high school. She sold a second article as a student at Montana State University. Thousands of features, stories, and photographs have followed, the majority dealing with agriculture, rural life, cowboy and Western entertainment, cooking, and family history.

Her business, Lamesteer Publishing, offers graphic design, including CD packages, web pages, and books, photography, promotional and writing services. Traveling a four-state area, Dobrowski has captured the emotions and surprises of the marriage celebration for dozens of couples with her photo-journalistic style wedding pictures.

Dobrowski is a field editor for America’s #1 cooking magazine, Taste of Home. She became the review editor for Tri-State Livestock News in January 2005, authoring the monthly Cowboy Jam Session: Western Culture News & Reviews.

 

Read Jeri Dobrowski's Cowboy Magazine (Winter, 2006) cover story about South Dakota rancher Robert Dennis here at CowboyPoetry.com.

A photo she took while preparing that story, "Leadin' a Spare," is featured in our Art Spur project. Art Spur invites poets to let selections of Western art inspire their poetry.

See larger versions of Jeri Dobrowski's patriotic photos from the 2005 Medora, North Dakota Flag Day parade here.