RECOGNITION FOR NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY

There’s nothing quite more American than cowboys and cowgirls. So join us in recognizing the 2023 National Day of the Cowboy.

BY ROBERT LANG

In the United States, unsurprisingly, Americans will celebrate just about anything. We celebrate New Year’s, Independence Day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. Then, in the world of sports, there is the World Series, Super Bowl, and March Madness. Then taking it a step further, you might also find that some Americans celebrate ExtraTerrestrial Abductions Day (March 20), National Sea Monkey Day (May 16th), Left-Handers Day (August 13), and Crossword Puzzle Day (December 21). And that’s only a drop in the bucket of “official” national holidays. There is one holiday that I think deserves to be celebrated above most others and that is the National Day of the Cowboy. Since 2004 the National Day of the Cowboy has been held on the fourth Saturday in July each year.

The Cowboy is an iconic symbol of the American frontier. It’s no surprise that hard-working men and women have been a part of the landscape from the beginning, but the ones that paved the way were the American Cowboys.

Cowboys are the stuff of legends. Everything from the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral to Billy the Kid and Jesse James. Even the Texas Rangers, Bass Reeves, and Wyatt Earp are also among those legends. During the mid to late 1800s, dime novels were being written about these very figures who were larger than life. Buffalo Bill Cody helped keep the legend alive with his Wild West Show that traveled around the world. In fact, some say Bill Cody laid the groundwork for the rodeos that we know and love today.

Many of the early motion pictures were Westerns, including the Great Train Robbery from 1903. Since then, stories and cowboys of the West have been featured in movies ever since, with silver screen legends such as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Randolph Scott. Then in the 1950s and 1960s, Westerns dominated the television landscape with notable shows such as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Maverick, Cheyenne, and The Rifleman. It’s safe to say that America was hooked on Cowboy culture.

Since Cowboys first started showing up in the West, there has been a constant celebration of them, their life, their culture, and their influence on America. While there are many notable historic legends, celebrities, and figures worth celebrating, the real Cowboy heroes are the working men and women who have made it their life mission to work and preserve the West.

The first National Day of the Cowboy was celebrated in 2004 and, now 19 years later, we will celebrate it again on Saturday, July 23, 2023. To me, this is truly a day worth celebrating! The National Day of the Cowboy is a day set aside to celebrate the contribution of the Cowboy and Cowgirl to America’s culture and pioneer heritage. In addition, the National Day of the Cowboy organization was founded in Wyoming, on June 5, 2005, for the purpose of seeking permanent recognition for the celebration of cowboy culture.

As the effort to have a National Day of the Cowboy was established, the organizers became aware that Congress is prohibited from declaring national holidays and can only declare Federal holidays. So although President George Bush sent a Letter of Support for the day, that was the extent of the endorsement he could provide. In the words of former President Bush, “We celebrate the Cowboy as a symbol of the grand history of the American West. The Cowboy’s love of the land and love of the country are examples for all Americans.”

On Friday, June 20, 2008, the National Day of the Cowboy resolution passed in the Arizona State Legislature, making Arizona the first state to pass the resolution. In 2009, the resolution passed in New York, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arizona. It was also proclaimed as a holiday by a number of governors, mayors, and town councils.

In March 2012, Wyoming became the first state to pass the National Day of the Cowboy as a bill, in perpetuity, making it a permanent fixture of Wyoming law. As of today, the National Day of the Cowboy the bill has been passed into law in a total of 15 states. In past years, celebrations have been held in California, Texas, Arizona, Utah, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Montana, North Dakota, Kansas, New York, Georgia,

Virginia, and many other states as well. The events take place at halls of fame, museums, heritage centers, ranches, and on main streets across the country. Even if the resolution has not passed in your state, there is a good chance that there will be a celebration near you. If there is no celebration nearby, the NDOC encourages you to start one.

The National Day of the Cowboy website is NationalDayOfTheCowboy. com. Here you can find out how you can support the ongoing effort to have more states pass the bill. You can find news and an online shop where you can purchase some memorabilia to help with fundraising and read about The Annual Cowboy Keeper Award which is bestowed upon organizations, events, projects, and individuals it determines have made, or are making, a substantial contribution to the preservation of pioneer heritage, as well as to those whose efforts support the continued growth and preservation of Cowboy culture. Please join us this year to celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy!