Introduction

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Amanda Rees

Dude ranching is a distinctly western touristic activity and has a long and distinguished history in Wyoming from its earliest incarnation in the 1890s to the present. As historian Charles Roundy points out, dude ranching is indeed “the single most unique contribution of the Rocky Mountain West to the ever-growing national vacation industry. But dude ranching has also had a crucial impact on the way in which the West is understood. Indeed, as historian Jermone L. Rodnitzky suggests the dude ranch looms “large on the national scene as a vehicle of relaxation, it played an important role in perpetuating America’s continuing romance with the West.”

This website hosts a rich variety of essays on Wyoming dude ranching written by University of Wyoming Department of Geography senior students in spring 2003’s Tourism and Recreation class. Students wrote and received a generous grant from the University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center in whose cavernous archives they found a rich vein of dude ranching literature and artifacts. This collection of essays approaches dude ranching from four perspectives: history, an analysis of activities, ranching aesthetics, and dude ranch representations. In addition, Matt Pollock and Don Hopkins offer maps of the historical and contemporary distribution of Wyoming dude ranches.

The historical analysis of dude ranching runs from Matt Flicek’s extensive overview of the region’s dude ranching history, to the more focused biography of the Eatons and the Eaton Ranch by Nick Norris. Carrie Martin explores the development of Wyoming’s tourist industry using the Triangle X Ranch as a case study.

Activities are an essential part of the dude ranching experience and several authors explore how they have changed over time. Carrie Jane Margeson articulates various dude ranch activities such as cowboy poetry, adventure and outdoor activities, and the role of the horse. Mark Roberts compares and contracts ranch activities in the 1930s with those provide in two late twentieth century ranches. Mark Wengert focuses on the impact of technology on ranch activities from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Aesthetics form an indispensable part of the dude ranch experience and authors consider two distinct aesthetic experiences. Brian Fulton looks at ranch aesthetics in terms of clothing, interior design, and how those issues shape a sense of dude ranch camaraderie. Thomas Mikkelsen examines Wyoming ranch architecture and the relationship between working ranch and dude ranch aesthetics.

Finally, the representations of dude ranching in advertising and pop culture are explored in two essays. Angeline Allan considers advertising that was intimately related to the railroads during dude ranching’s earliest development. Ryan Dean’s work analyzes the representations of dude ranches in popular culture, both in television and film.

Welcome to our dude ranch website.