COWBOY CULTURE
When we talk about cowboys in Nevada, it’s about the men and women who ride horses and rope cows. They wear boots and hats because they’re useful to the work, not to make a statement – although they could tell you the difference between round-toe and square-toe boots, and the real definition of a “buckaroo.” Horses are modes of transportation and members of the family. We take great pride in our ropin’ and ridin’ skills, and aren’t afraid to grab a guitar and pick a melody. This is the lifestyle that created the art form known as cowboy music and poetry, and it’s celebrated every January in Elko during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and in May at the Genoa Cowboy Festival. These poets can spin a yarn that will make your sides ache from laughter and the music transports you to a starry night around the fire.
Guest ranches are the perfect places to get a taste for the country way of life, but don’t expect to be wined and dined; if you’re a guest on a working ranch, you can expect to work. You may help wrangle the cows or feed the horses, and you’ll earn that chuck wagon dinner at the end of the day. The cowboy way of life is celebrated every day at the Western Folklife Center in Elko. Here arts, culture and personal stories of Nevada’s buckaroos and ranchers come to life. Rodeos are a big part of cowboy culture, and Nevada does them right. The Reno Rodeo is known as the wildest, richest rodeo in the West, and the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas is where the best of the best prove their stuff in the arena. TRAVELNEVADA.COM
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