Let the Cowboy Ride : Cattle Ranching in the American West

by Starrs, Paul F.

• ISBN13: 9780801863516
• ISBN10: 0801863511
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-03-17
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

The dime novel and dude ranch, the barbecue and rodeo, the suburban ranch house and the urban cowboy -- all are a direct legacy of nineteenth-century cowboy life that still enlivens American popular culture. Yet at the same time, reports of environmental destruction or economic inefficiency have motivated calls for restricted livestock grazing on public lands or even for an end to ranching altogether. In Let the Cowboy Ride, Starrs offers a detailed and comprehensive look at one of America's most enduring institutions. Richly illustrated with more than 130 photographs and maps, the book combines the authentic detail of an insider's view (Starrs spent six years working cattle on the high desert Great Basin range) with a scholar's keen eye for objective analysis.

Author Biography

Paul F. Starrs is associate professor of geography at the University of Nevada at Reno, editor of the Geographical Review, and a former cowhand.

Table of Contents

List of Maps, Charts, and Tables	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xiii
Part I The Legacy of Ranching and Rangeland
For What Came Ye into This Wilderness?	1	(18)
Rival Claims on Ranching	19	(19)
Land Policy and the American Way	38	(23)
Ranching Frontiers and the Federal Government	61	(24)
Part II Ranch Country
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico	85	(25)
Commons Grazing, Federal Force
Deaf Smith County, Texas	110	(15)
The State's Own Land Business
Cherry County, Nebraska	125	(16)
Red Cows, Tall Grass, and Hand-Crafted Law
Sheridan County, Wyoming	141	(18)
The Intricate Constructions of the Genteel Rancher
Elko County, Nevada	159	(36)
Public Range, Private Purpose
Part III The Future of Ranching
Questing after Continuity in a Land of Change	195	(22)
Of Land and Life	217	(25)
Ranching's Realm	242	(17)
Notes	259	(64)
Glossary	323	(4)
Bibliography Essay	327	(20)
Index	347