Featured: New in 2008 Books, music, and more Cowboy Poetry at the BAR-D Ranch www.CowboyPoetry.com

The publisher describes Nevada writer Mary Jean Kelso's Andy and the Albino Horse, illustrated by wildlife and Western artist, K.C. Snider of Redmond, Oregon, as "a story about a special needs boy who meets a wild mustang that has been adopted and trained in equine therapy. They form a bond that will take them on many adventures together."

Reviewer Linda Lattimer writes, "...Mary Jean Kelso pens a heart-tugging tale about learning to cope with a disability, and even a bully, in a story I highly recommend. She allows Andy to see no matter how hard a challenge may appear, sometimes others may have their own test to endure..."

The first in a proposed series, Mary Jane Kelso says that the book's story is being recorded as a Western song.

Andy and the Albino Horse is available from the publisher (where you can view illustrations and more) for $10.95 plus $5.95 handling and from Amazon and other outlets. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Healing Reins of Bend, Oregon and Horseplay of Fernley, Nevada.

Posted 5/8

Pam Kaster's Molly the Pony tells the impressive, heartwarming story of Molly:

She's a gray-speckled "POA" pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.

A blog here includes photos and more of Molly's story.

Visit the hoofcare.com web site for order information and more.

[Thanks to Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns for the information about this book.]

Posted 5/2

The Bear Family has a recent reissue of Hank Snow's 1968 Tales of the Yukon, his performances of Robert Service's poems. They state that he learned the poems as a child in Canada.

The CD includes a 35-page booklet with biographical information for Robert Service, vintage photos, and the words to each of the included poems. The booklet is filled with interesting information, such as the fact that Service "made a brief appearance with Marlene Dietrich in the 1942 film, The Spoilers."

Eight poems are included. The notes comment that "Face on the Bar Room Floor" was attributed to Service on the original LP, but that it was
actually written in 1887 by Hugh Antoine D'Arcy. Other tracks include: "The Shooting Of Dan McGrew," "The Cremation Of Sam McGee," "The Spell Of
The Yukon," "The Ballad Of Blasphemous Bill," "The Ballad Of One-Eyed Mike," "The Ballad Of Hard Luck Henry," and "My Friends."

The CD is available from Amazon and from The Bear Family web site, and other outlets.

The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Three includes a rare recording of Service reciting "The Cremation of Sam McGee. That recitation is from the Robert Service in Person; The Bard of the Yukon CD. Read more about it in the liner notes here for The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Three. (There is a special offer for the CD for CowboyPoetry.com visitors).

Read poems and more in our feature about Service here.

Posted 4/28

The Western Folklife Center's Deep West Records' Songs from Yellowstone and the Tetons CD includes tracks from the Western Folklife Center's recent songwriting contest, and additional songs.

The 17 tracks are: "The Road that Leads to Yellowstone," Jon Chandler (People's Choice in Songwriting contest); "Bears," Lyle Lovett; "The Night Herding Song Montage," Bar J Wranglers/Harry Stephens/Girls of the Golden West/Skip Gorman; "My Old Waddie Pal," Skip Gorman; "I am Going to the West, Connie Dover"; "Out Yonder," Connie Dover (Winner of Songwriting contest); "Teton Waltz," Dan Thomasma;"The Growling Old Men," Madison Brown; "I've Endured," Tim O'Brien; "Red, White & Yellowstone," Stuart Weber; "Alpha #9," Chuck Pyle; "Wilderness Ranger," Greg Keeler; "Blue Heron," Beth McIntosh; "Yellowstone Dawn," Jay Begaye; "Trouble on Alum," Jerry Douglas; "The Jewel," Ray Doyle (Winner,
2nd Place in Songwriting contest); and a bonus sing-along: "The Yellowstone Song," Terri Taylor.

Read more about the songs and the songwriters here at the Western Folklife Center web site.

Songs from Yellowstone and the Tetons is available for $15 plus postage from the gift shop at the Western Folklife Center.

Posted 4/3

Minnesota rancher, poet and writer Diane Tribitt's account of one day in her life is featured in Water Cooler Diaries; Women Across American Share Their Day at Work.

The publisher introduces the book, "On March 27, 2007 over five-hundred women across the country and from all walks of life chronicled a single day on the job as a part of a national book project." The editors "advised contributors to simply write their activities, thoughts, and feelings throughout the day, without censure or second-guessing."

Thirty-five full-length entries and additional excerpts were chosen for the resulting book, released exactly one year after the stories were written. Some of the other contributors work includes orthopedic trauma surgeon, mine geologist, stay-at-home mom, long-distance truck driver, race car driver, high school math teacher, and boxing promoter and matchmaker.

Diane Tribitt's story, "Rancher," the second in the book, is rich with the activities of her busy ranch life, with never a dull moment during a long day filled with chores, calving, horses, equipment troubles, neighbors, children, cooking, phone calls, community events, writing, and more.

Journalist and photographer Jeri Dobrowski is acknowledged by the authors for lending her "talents and support" to the project. An excerpt written by her sister-in-law, Lana Janssen, assistant program manager of Billings' Montana Rescue Mission is included.

Read more at the Water Cooler Diairies web site, where there are reviews, blogs, featured excerpts and more.

Water Cooler Diaries; Women Across American Share Their Day at Work is available from Amazon and other booksellers.

Posted 3/27

The Old West, New West: Grabbing the Future by the Horns DVD is the third collection of Deep West Videos from the Western Folklife Center. The short films, made by ranching families, most with no prior filmmaking experience, offer up-close glimpses into the rural and ranch life of the West. The project is in its eighth year, and two earlier DVDs are available, produced in 2006 and 2007.

Deep West Videos DVDs are produced by the Western Folklife Center's Taki Telonidis and Founding Director Hal Cannon. The official description tells that they feature "... first hand stories rooted in the values of life on the land in first-hand stories of the people of the rural West, living their daily lives on the land. With the tools of digital communication in hand, our filmmakers make simple productions that are relevant, everyday stories of rural life and its values." The collections of short video pieces on the DVDs are accompanied by descriptive notes.

As we commented in reviews of the previous DVDs, "The subjects of the films cover a wide spectrum, all inspired by ranching life. The honest views are often remarkable in both their messages and their presentation. Every film—each in its unique way—speaks to the fragile existence of ranching in the West and each is an important piece of cultural preservation."

Old West, New West: Grabbing the Future by the Horns is a new initiative for the Deep West Videos project. The Western Folklife Center explains, "We asked for videos that explored the changing West, and what that means for men and women grounded in rural life. Our questions were: What are the challenges, triumphs, and surprises of country living in the 21st Century? How are the rural ingenuity and creativity born out of the Old West, being put to use in the New West?" The 2008 DVD includes six Deep West Videos and six of the films resulting from the new Old West, New West: Grabbing the Future by the Horns initiative.

The 2008 DVD includes Colorado poet and writer Jane Morton's film, "Branding," made with Bob Luttrell, who also created and performs the music. Jane recites her poem, Branding, while rich, well-selected vintage photos bring the story to life, illustrating what happened when her brother invited "city slickers" to help with branding. Jane's taciturn father is at the center of the story, and the result is a fine tribute to him and a vivid picture of a time past. (Jane Morton also contributed a film to the 2007 video, "Turning to Face the Wind," a film about her family's ranch and the effects of "progress." Read about her award-winning book by the same name, here. A photo from Jane's ranch adorns the cover of the DVD, and you can see that photo and read more about it here in our Picture the West feature.)

Top Western music singer and songwriter Patty Clayton's film, "Ben and Ole's Land," is a result of her "quest to find the family's original homestead." Patty narrates her story, and performs her music. Vintage and contemporary photos illustrate her ancestors' compelling stories and her own determined effort, doing "what ever it took," to uncover those stories and visit the sites of the Idaho ranches that had been owned by her great grandparents. (You can view some of her photos and read more, including her song, "Ben and Ole's Land," here in our Picture the West feature.)

Other projects on the 2008 DVD include the Old West, New West: Grabbing the Future by the Horns projects "Growing Home" by Tuda Libby Crews of Bueryos, New Mexico; "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing on a Place Like This?" by Kristin Windbigler of Blocksburg, California; "From Logs to Lights," by Kier Atherton of Missoula, Montana; "Joe McCormack's Homeland" by Joe McCormack with Gwendolyn Trice of Joseph, Oregon; "Boarding Out," by Glynis Wright of Tuscarora, Nevada and Susan Church of North Fork, Nevada; and "Range War," by Whit Deschner of Sparta, Oregon. The additional Deep West Videos include "What Do You Do Around Here?" by Peter Church of North Fork, Nevada; "A Cow and Her Boy" by Cheryl Turner of Spring Creek, Nevada; "Kitchen on the Range" by Susan Church of North Fork, Nevada; "Brothers," by Cindi Nash of Spring Creek, Nevada; and the films mentioned above: "Branding," by Jane Morton and "Ben and Ole's Land" by Patty Clayton.

Read more about Deep West Video project and view some of the films on line at the Western Folklife Center web site.

The Deep West Videos DVDs are available from the Western Folklife Center bookstore.

Posted 3/17

Veteran Texas journalist, historian, and writer Mike Cox' latest book is The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900. Cox, an elected member of the Texas Institute of Letters, began his writing career as a Texas newspaper reporter, then spent fifteen years as spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the Texas Rangers.

The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900 is described by the publisher.

Texas writer/historian Mike Cox explores the inception and rise of the famed Texas Rangers. Starting in 1821 with just a handful of men, the Rangers' first purpose was to keep settlers safe from the feared and gruesome Karankawa Indians, a cannibalistic tribe that wandered the Texas territory. As the influx of settlers grew, the attacks increased and it became clear that a much larger, better trained force was necessary.

From their tumultuous beginning to their decades of fighting outlaws, Comanche, Mexican soldados and banditos, as well as Union soldiers, the Texas Rangers became one of the fiercest law enforcement groups in America. In a land as spread-out and sparsely populated as the west itself, the Rangers had unique law-enforcement responsibilities and challenges.

The story of the Texas Rangers is as controversial as it is heroic. Often accused of vigilante-style racism and murder, they enforced the law with a heavy hand. But above all they were perhaps the defining force for the stabilization and the creation of Texas. From Stephen Austin in the early days through the Civil War, the first eighty years of the Texas Rangers is nothing less then phenomenal, and the efforts put forth in those days set the foundation for the Texas Rangers that keep Texas safe today.

The book and the author earn praise from respected Western writer Elmer Kelton, "Mike Cox has a unique background for presenting the checkered history of the Rangers. During several years as a spokesman for the Texas Department of Safety, he had access to detailed records and experienced first-hand the mystique that clings to this fabled law enforcement body. Though he gives us the flashes of glory, he does not flinch from the dark side of the Rangers' past."

The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900 is available from the publisher, Forge Books, and from Amazon and other outlets.

[Thanks to Linda Kirkpatrick for the news of this book]

Posted 3/11

Still: Cowboys at the Start of the Twenty-First Century is a sumptuous book of paradoxically simple images that engage the viewer on many levels. The images are Robb Kendrick's stunning tintypes of cowboys and ranchers, men and women of today, presented in a century-old process. The eye lingers on details and the imagination travels back and forth through time, viewing the images of people who could work and dwell back when photography was first born, but who are contemporary inhabitants of today's working West.

The photos were taken across fourteen U.S. Western states, British Columbia, and Coahuila, Mexico. Occasional written pieces by the subjects are insightful and often eloquent. For example, Jim Myrick from Broken Arrow Equestrian, Nebraska talks about breeding horses, "You know, I eat, dream horses...horses are my life....I have a deep, deep passion for this country, mother earth, and livestock." Royce Hanson from Sunlight Ranch, Montana, writes "It's just a way of life that come easy. Solitude, God, nature, and animals...Every place to me that you make a living and stay horseback is a good place....People wonder how you can live by yourself and not get out and not go out and so on and this and that. It's really pretty easy. If you can't live with yourself, it can't be any easier to live with a lot of people around you." Jodi Miner from Snowline Ranch, Montana, writes, "I'm proud to be a cowboy or a cowgirl, however you want to word it...I'm independent and able to do what I love and, even though it is generally a man's world, I—women—can still hold their own.... " Merlin Rupp from Oregon writes, "Being a buckaroo means great freedom. It's no man owns you, you know, no man owns you. No words can describe it."

In his "Photographer's Notes," Robb Kendrick writes:

I have been drawn to photograph cowboys for twenty-five years—in tintype for the past six years. The tintype process takes me even closer to the cowboys in important ways, I believe. It requires more patience, and making each place by hand has shown me that I'm not always in control—environment, weather, and chance always play a part in the final product. In this world of yesterday deadlines and "perfect digital photography," I find a renewed awareness that patience and serendipity are important gifts...

Top photographer and writer Jay Dusard, in his Afterword, comments:

Here, at the beginning of our overly populous, overly conflicted, heartburn-inducing twenty-first century—on the toe of the curve, a photographer might say—Robb's timely images give me comfort and hope. A recent plane flight angled me across western New Mexico, over remote country that I had been horseback in, helping various rancher friends gather cattle. That nothing appeared to have changed made me think of Robb in his rig somewhere between British Columbia's Chilcotin River and the Sierra de la Encantada in Coahuila, traversing the cow country of three nations. He proved (perhaps only to himself and to me) that cowboys, old-timers and new recruits alike, may be threatened, but they're far from vanishing. Robb Kendrick rode outside the circle and returned with immense revelations.

You can view sample images here at the the publisher's site, the University of Texas Press web site. There is another spread of images here at National Geographic, where they accompany an article on "21st Century Cowboys" by Robert Draper. Visit Robb Kendrick's web site, www.RobbKendrick.com to view more photos, see a video about his tintype process, and to learn more about his work and publications.

Still: Cowboys at the Start of the Twenty-First Century is available for $50, web sales discounted to $31.50 from the publisher, at Amazon, and from other outlets.

Posted 2/25

The High Plains Press has published Robert Roripaugh's collection of eight stories, The Legend of Billy Jenks and other Wyoming Stories, "real Wyoming stories" set " against the Wind River country and the rugged landscape of the oilfields, written by someone who grew up on the land." Roripaugh was Wyoming's Poet Laureate from 1995-2002.

Wyoming writer and poet Jean Mathisen Haugen has a review of the book, here at CowboyPoetry.com. She writes in part, "Places are easily recognizable and though the stories are sometimes sad they carry a soaring grace of time and the people who lived in the Wind River country." Read the complete review here.

Author Alyson Hagy (Snow, Ashes) comments, "[These stories are] rooted in Wyoming’s high mountains and plains, and are powerful with the scent of sagebrush, hay, and human grace. Robert Roripaugh is a true and wise guide through this rich land he loves."

The Legend of Billy Jenks and other Wyoming Stories is available for $15.95 plus postage from the publisher, High Plains Press; Amazon; and other outlets.

Posted 2/21

The University of Oklahoma Press has released Charles M. Russell, A Catalogue Raisonné, edited by B. Byron Price, described as, "A lavishly illustrated book and on-line catalogue raisonné. The definitive reference for scholars, collectors, curators, art dealers, libraries, and anyone else who appreciates the art of Charles M. Russell." The project is further described:

One of the most beloved artists of the American West, Russell’s paintings, sketches, sculpture, illustrated letters, and stories are an unequalled legacy. Lavishly illustrated with more than 200 color and black-and-white reproductions of Russell’s greatest works, this beautiful volume features essays by experts and scholars who address important aspects of the artist’s life and career. Inside the book is a unique key code that allows purchasers to access a private online catalogue (www.russellraisonne.com) of more than 4,000 works Russell created and signed during his lifetime. Original owners of the book will have unlimited access to the site after registering.

The online catalogue, which includes an enlargeable image of each work, is fully searchable. Each entry includes the catalogue number, title, medium, dimensions, and, when available, the inscription, credit line, illustration, provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography. The catalogue will be updated as new information becomes available or additional works are found. Together, the book and the catalogue will serve as an essential reference for museums, galleries, collectors, scholars, and anyone who appreciates the art of Charles M. Russell. The result of more than a decade of research and scholarship, Charles M. Russell: A Catalogue Raisonné is published in cooperation with the Charles M. Russell Center for the Study of Art of the American West at the University of Oklahoma and with the C. M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana.

Visit the online catalog for a preview. The 352-page book, with 160 color and 65 black and white illustrations, is available for $125 from the University of Oklahoma Press, Amazon, and other outlets.

Posted 2/20

Montana singer, songwriter, musician, storyteller, writer, auctioneer, fiddle expert, and Model T authority Stan Howe has released a second volume, Freida Learns to Drive, which follows the delightful Adventures of Herman & Freida and Their Model T. Ford. The stories are filled with humor, history, and well-drawn, endearing characters. They are described at www.hermanandfreida.com:

A collection of short stories—historical fiction about a family in North Dakota in the 1920's with their Model T's & their seven kids. There are Herman and his wife Freida; their children Einar, Torvald, Emmaline, Mayvelle and the triplets, Henry Herman, Ford Helferstout & Clara Freida. Follow their adventures raising their family and buying, driving and working on their Model T's. Follow them as they raise their family and find how the two youngest boys came to be named Ford Helferstout and Henry Herman.

Each book is available for $20 postpaid from HERMAN AND FREIDA BOOK, 4433 Red Fox Dr, Helena, Montana 59602.