This is quite a nice article, however, Hal Cannon did not start this event and the roots of this wonderful event are misrepresented in the article. My mother, Sarah Sweetwater, and a group of amazing women started this event well before 1985. Mr. Cannon was hired by my mom to help when she saw the potential for preserving the amazing talents and ways of the West. These cowboys sat in my living and recited when I was a kid long before Hal had ever been to Elko. I wish Hal would give credit where credit is due to these amazing women but, as my mom passed away three years ago, his version of the festival roots has become “fact”. As keynote speaker for the 35 th gathering, I am sure Hal will once again take credit for this wonderful cultural event as his own. Many in the audience will know the truth as he spins his own yarn, but the New York Times and the world should know the truth as well. A correction was sent by Marla Painter.
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This was such a fun article to read, and it brought back to mind my own introduction to cowboy poetry when, in 1990, I found myself in Durango, Colorado, at the time of the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering there. What an unexpected treat! I've enjoyed reading cowboy poetry since that fortuitous introduction to it. My favorite cowboy poets are the late greats Larry McWhorter and Bruce Kiskaddon.
The breadth of the cowboy's nature in the poems he populates is something I value about the genre. The cowboy is not solely portrayed as noble, strong and resourceful, but also as clownish, oafish, fearful, naive, or tragic (hardly the stuff of testosterone toxicity.). And I don't remember ever reading a poem in which a woman was disrespected or otherwise insulted or denigrated.
Since I mentioned Mr. McWhorter and Mr. Kiskaddon, treat yourself to "Fear" by the former and "They Can Take It" by the latter. They're both remarkable portraits.
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Yes, cowboys in the Basque Country of Nevada!
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Today, of all days, might be the time to consider the visuals. I did not read it all after skimming the photos. Perhaps I am being unfair. A caption on the only photo of a woman notes "Paulette Tcherkassky traveled from Acton, Calif., with her husband to the 34th gathering." The woman poet quoted is the wife of someone. The event is primarily presented as an old boys club. A mostly white and male event. And that might be a pity, or perhaps merely typical and accurate.
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@Jan Priddy I’m sorry you did not take the time to listen to Amy Auker’s poem in the video. I’m sorry you did not read about Don Flemons. In this culture we don’t judge by gender, race, age, or all the other categories we use when we cannot take the time to understand. Easy individual is what they do and accomplish, not what they say they are. This is the culture of hard and mostly thankless work, of family, of friends, of long memories that are mostly counted in generations. Come to a Gathering before you judge. That is a sincere invitation. /s/ Patrick Sullivan
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I'm from the west (western Massachusetts) and this article makes me want to get a horse and learn to yodel.
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My favorite cowboy poet is the Poet Laureate of the West, Dalton Wilcox. I highly recommend his book, "You Must Buy Your Wife At Least As Much Jewelry As You Buy Your Horse and Other Poems and Observations, Humorous and Otherwise, from the Life on the Range."
Unless you're a Frankenstein or a Vampire, you'll love it.
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What a wonderful article. I've spent quite a bit of time in Basque country, and appreciate the food and culture, but I never imagined a marriage of western folklore and Basque spirit. I would love to visit the Elko festival. I was particularly pleased to hear that Ramblin' Jack Elliott is still kicking around. What a character and folk music legend. God bless you all and hope to join you there someday.
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Kudos and wholehearted appluse to cowboy poets and singers. Their creations should be published as a collection without delay.
However, I feel saddened by the departure from the historical tradition: none wear big 1880s single-action sixshooters. Such pieces, accompanied by their firing into the air, would have added flavor to the event.
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No worries about lack of 6-shooters. This is Elko and folks are packin'.
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@Tuvw Xyz But they were not typical, certainly, of cowboys. Despite the romantic portrayal of the "wild West" guns were not typical and behavior was seldom wild. Not in the least. The hat, the saddle would be classic and historically accurate. Many post Civil War cowboys (perhaps 40%) were black. See any here? That is the greater pity. Women ran ranches and participated in rodeos and one famously outscored everyone, but . . .
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When you get up in the morning
Stars still bright in the sky
A breeze begin to rustle
As the birds begin to fly
The horses make a ruckus
As you pitch them all some hay
The coffee's more than welcome
At the dawning of the day
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