Cowboy Poetry

Cowboy poetry grew out of tradition of telling stories after cattle drives and ranch work was done. Cowboys would gather around a campfire and tell tall tales and sing folk songs to be company to each other.

Cowboy poetry often includes themes related to working on the ranch. The western lifestyle was often different than those of others. It was a bit rugged like the landscape of American and Canadian western front. Thus the poetry may have shown signs of this. Cowboys had their own set of values and daily practices there are many fun stories about this as well. But the poetry was not all fun as there were hard times as well. Remembering those times and the people that had been part of life but are long gone all went into the poetry that was created. One of my favorite styles was sarcasm about modern contraptions and ways that things are done. Would this be you?? Would they find humor in what you or I did??

The Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering started in the 1960's. The gathering is a time for Western ranchers and cowboys to gather around and share poems that they created. It started out with men and women working in the western atmosphere to share poems and stories. Today there are poets, musicians, artisans and storytellers all sharing their creativity. A cowboys life is full of hard work, heartache and fun as well.

An act of Congress would change the name of the Elko Gathering to The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. The gathering is a pilgrimage of sorts for ranch folk and others who love the western culture. The gathering last 6 days of poetry, music, dancing, workshops, exhibits, conversations, food and fellowship. This year the national Cowboy Poetry Gathering will take place January 30th through February 4th.