I'm heading to the Tucson Festival of Books this month, so I thought it would be fun to tell some of Tucson's dude ranch tales. People flocked to the area in the early twentieth century because the dry climate was thought to be good for respiratory trouble; more specifically, tuberculosis. The city of Tucson did … Continue reading Let’s Go to Tucson!
Dude ranches
A Gift from Ed
Many years ago, when I was the company Historian for Levi Strauss & Co., I used to go to paper and ephemera shows all over the Bay Area. I always found photos, postcards, ads, or other great swag from Levi's early years. And it was at one of these shows that I met the king … Continue reading A Gift from Ed
The Silent Star in the Library
In 2019, the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming awarded me a Resident Fellowship to study their (amazing) dude ranch archives for my book, American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West. I flew to Cody in August and spent a … Continue reading The Silent Star in the Library
“On The Train For Reno”
I told you about dude ranching in the movies in my last post. Today, I'm going to bring you a very specific type of ranch, which figures in a classic 1939 film, The Women. The Reno divorce ranch. In 1931 the state of Nevada did two very smart things: it legalized gambling, and allowed people … Continue reading “On The Train For Reno”
“I’m so happy there’s a place like this in the world.”
I just got home after spending three fabulous days at the O.T.O. dude ranch, outside of Gardiner, Montana. It was Montana's first dude ranch, and though it was only open for about twenty-five years, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also a legend. And that's because of its legendary founder, Dick … Continue reading “I’m so happy there’s a place like this in the world.”
From the Collection: Postcards
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I have over 100 pieces of dude ranch memorabilia in a collection I started about 10 years ago. Some of my favorite pieces are the postcards, because they are all so different and present very different messages about dude ranching. The card pictured above is the oldest … Continue reading From the Collection: Postcards
From the Collection: Advertising
When I give talks about my book American Dude Ranch I mention that I started collecting dude ranch memorabilia about 10 years ago, and that I now have more than 100 items (not that I'm obsessed or anything). I thought it might be fun to showcase some of these items here, and I'll start with … Continue reading From the Collection: Advertising
Bad Dudes on the Ranch
When I started researching the history of dude ranching, I came across quite a few stories about crime and lawlessness. This really isn't surprising, because the dude ranch is the perfect location for mystery and shadowy behavior: an isolated location, usually in the remote West, with strangers thrown together, living for a few weeks in … Continue reading Bad Dudes on the Ranch
Dude Stories for Presidents Day
I came across only a couple of presidential names when I was doing the research about the West for my new book American Dude Ranch. If you've read any Chief Executive histories, you've probably figured out by now that Theodore Roosevelt is at the top of that short list. In 1883 he was an author, … Continue reading Dude Stories for Presidents Day
“Hoosier Tires of Yoga and Wants His Dude Ranch Back.”
You know, some stories just write themselves. That was the headline in the Indianapolis News on November 26, 1947, which I found doing some random dude ranch research the other day. Naturally, I had to investigate, and if you think today's celebrity culture is weird, just wait. Alva LaSalle "Beau" Kitselman, Jr. was the heir … Continue reading “Hoosier Tires of Yoga and Wants His Dude Ranch Back.”
Tumblereads: A New Twist on the Old West 