I grew up on a ranch in northeastern Oregon. Each season brought with it its designated work responsibilities. The work seemed endless. As a boy, it...
Gary Ernest Smith
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What History Has Taught Me
R.W. Hampton
I will always be a cowboy at heart. I worked hard to “earn my spurs”; I feel proud knowing that I rode with that special tribe, and they called me...
Ken Spurgeon
William Quantrill makes me angry and curious. A part of me roots against him and wishes for his demise. Another part of me is incredibly curious as...
Vince Murray
The problem with Arizona is most of the people who live here are from somewhere else. They don’t feel connected to the place and compare what we...
Steve Shaw
I reluctantly acquiesced to my wife Marcie’s idea that we take a steamboat cruise on the Mississippi River in 1998; I assumed it would...
Mark Lemon
Don't get me started on respected Alamo artists who pompously sit on their laurels, let their research stagnate and then come unglued after viewing...
Nate Funmaker
When people come into my store, many are surprised to meet me. One customer said to me, “I’m thinkin I’m going to see a 60-year-old Jewish guy...
Frank Weller
Rescuing a horse from slaughter gives you a special feeling. The horses say it best in their thanks to us, but it goes far beyond each rescued foal...
Brenn Hill
When I was touring radio stations in Texas, I was a “Texas Red Dirt Country” artist. At a cowboy poetry gathering, I’m a “Cowboy Singer.” I’ve been...
Paul Andrew Hutton
The best thing about being a Distinguished Professor is the freedom one enjoys from the demands of others and the unfailing inspiration provided by...
Buckeye Blake
My favorite place in the West is northern Nevada. The Owyhee Range. It’s the distance. There’s nothing out there. At least, people say there’s...
Fred Labour
The trick to doing live shows at the Grand Ole Opry is the same as anywhere: go in with guns blazing, communicate with the folks, keep it loose and...