If one is fortunate enough to live west of the Mississippi River the term cowboy is alive and well because it still reflects who we are and what we do in livestock production or participate in the sport of rodeo.
The National Day of the Cowboy is being celebrated on July 28. In Dodge City, Kansas, the cowboy gets extra notoriety as the community celebrates with activities to give youngsters an opportunity to learn about the Hollywood lore and what the true working cowboy did then. Hollywood gets its fair share of blame about painting pictures that cowboys were hard drinking, gamblers and fast with their guns in the late 1800s.
It made for great movie scripts and yet it is an inaccurate picture. While it is true there were cowboys who liked to drink hard, gamble and shoot their guns blindly accepting those descriptions to define generations of cowboys is wrong. The consolation prize is that Hollywood has made the famous cowtowns of Dodge City and Abilene, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Cheyenne and Greeley household names among international visitors as they travel from overseas to get a glimpse of the American cowboy.
Historians are quick to note the cowboy was one who rarely brandished his gun knowing the true varmint was a coyote or predators, took care of his horse and often stayed on prairie close to the cattle he was driving. Many of the earliest cowboys were either black or Hispanic.
The National Day of the Cowboy is a day to treasure and learn. There are many opportunities to learn about the task of the cowboys in the 1800s and into today with museums. In Dodge City, there is the Boot Hill Museum, which for a nominal admission fee, gives people a slice of what the cowboys really encountered. It also intersperses a dash of the television series Gunsmoke with re-enactments of a gunfights and saloon dancing girls led by Miss Kitty. A melodrama adds a slice humor and music for the visitor.
In less than a week the Roundup Rodeo will bring the world’s best cowboys and cowgirls to compete for the right to be champion. The Roundup Rodeo is July 31-Aug. 5 and represents the best in patriotism and western sports.
One of the best quotes I have heard in recent years about cowboys came from Dr. R.C. Trotter, the longtime president of the Roundup Rodeo board of directors who lead the 42nd Roundup Rodeo.
“The cowboy is still an iconic person,” Trotter said. “They stand for God, their country and they will take their hat off when greeting a lady. Everyone can identify with what the cowboy stands for.”
There is no truer statement.
