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!
Western History
Happy Birthday, Fred
On this day in 1849 -- 175 years ago -- Frederick Wadsworth Loring was born in Newton, a suburb of Boston. He was a poet, playwright, novelist, and journalist and died just weeks before his 22nd birthday. Those of you who know me remember that I have been researching (obsessed with) Fred ever since I … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Fred
Following Fred Loring
Happy New Year, and I hope you will all indulge me as I devote the occasional post to the man who will star in my next book: Frederick Wadsworth Loring, the Harvard graduate, poet, novelist, and journalist who left his comfy home in Boston to be the secretary for the George M. Wheeler survey of … Continue reading Following Fred Loring
“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
The Mystery Writer and the First Dude Rancher
Journalist and author Mary Roberts Rinehart was working in her Pittsburg office in the early summer of 1915 when a man she’d never seen before knocked on the door. He was middle-aged and tanned, with a cheerful, open face. His name was Howard Eaton, and although he was also a Pittsburg native, he now lived … Continue reading The Mystery Writer and the First Dude Rancher
The Cowboy Singer Who Wasn’t A Cowboy
Folks of a certain age in the United States will remember the Death Valley Days TV show of the 1950s. But before Ronald Reagan, Robert Taylor, and Dale Robertson hosted the long-running series, Death Valley Days was a popular radio program. It debuted in September of 1930 and featured a singer called The Lonesome Cowboy, … Continue reading The Cowboy Singer Who Wasn’t A Cowboy
Tumblereads: A New Twist on the Old West 