Cowboy Poetry Classics

In bunkhouses, bars, and hotels and around campfires and corrals, cowboy poetry flourished during its golden age between 1905 and 1935. Impelled by the development of the cowboy hero in print and on film and the idea that a unique way of life was fast disappearing, writers—cowboys and non-cowboys alike—began memorializing life on the range. The widespread popularity of these poems captured the spirit and adventure of life in the American West. Produced in conjunction with the Western Folklife Center and featuring the recitations of many popular performers from the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, this remarkable collection brings new vitality to the poetry and voices of these American icons.