blackfoot-valley

The kind of life thus chronicled never represented more than a small minority of Americans. In the aggregate, those dramas recorded a vital aspect of Amercan history. We would all be poorer had they not been brought vividly to life in our national conciousness through print and visuals. And not by just visual means. “Western” songs constitute one of the most vital and enduring aspects of American folk music, arguably the most “American” of them all. The cattle drives are now history, replaced first by railroads and later by trucking as well. The “open range” no longer exists - the ranges are now all fenced. Food for ranch hands is now hardly ever slaughtered on a ranch for that purpose - it’s now store-bought except for a little local produce, although the tradition of hearty portions endures. The day-long rides of yesterday are now almost exclusively by automobile except for a few horse enthusiasts, and the latter are in pursuit of recreation rather than cattle. “Meyer Company Ranch Cowboys” 2010 132