Cowboy Poetry ... more than words on the prairie

Cowboys have been reciting poems for centuries along with song ballads. This week is the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held at Elko, Nevada from January 29th through February 3rd.

Cowboy poetry started as far back as the 1860's -1870's, which were poems and songs recited in Spanish. It mostly dates back to the period of the long distance cattle drives from Texas to Kansas that followed the Civil War. A cowboys audience was the cattle on the drive. Cowboy Poetry is when there is some connection to the cowboy life, passion, humor, ranch work, landscape, cowboy values, memories, and people lon...