Why does the thought of the American cowboy bring to mind romance and nostalgia? What is it about the cowboy that personifies the American spirit of adventure and intrigue? Do we all dream of a simpler life and time that is only imagined by most but lived out daily by the cowboys of the Western frontiers? While spending time in Wyoming, looking out over the endless prairie I have begun to imagine what life could be like for these iconic figures.
While growing up watching westerns it is refreshing to think, to hope actually, that the true western spirit can be captured by the visions of dark starry nights, campfires with cowboys singing and storytelling about the adventures of the day and a way of life that has been played out on the screen and played out in our heart and through our imagination. In many ways it seems a contradiction that these cowboys are the reckless, fearless, honorable men that make up the backbone of the American frontier while they are also the adventurous spirits that we think of as young children in make believe. These cowboys in our mind and heart are the ones who still believe in chivalry, who still believe in adventure, who still believe in loyalty, who still believe in honor, who still believe in love of family and love of life. Like the lyrics to “my heroes have always been cowboys” true cowboys are a breed unto themselves, dreamers, adventurers, loners and romantics.
In watching the old westerns, we realize that cowboys, with all of their romantic values, bring forth what we all hope for and dream of in a county divided by ideas and ways of life. Through them we are unafraid of where we are going and always able to look back with pride at where we have come from and who we are growing up to envision and become. We realize, through watching, that life is a journey full of trials, tribulations and jubilations – one step forward with dreams of what could be, what should be and what all is in store for us once we realize that the world before us is full of adventure and happiness and all that that entails. The life of a cowboy is always a challenge, forever a vision.
Imagine the dark indigo sky of the western Wyoming frontier. Imagine the feel of vast acreage spreading out in every direction. Imagine a life of freedom and a life of love, happiness and all that the true dream of the west encompasses. Life is good in Wyoming and life is good through the eyes of the American cowboy. Long live the Wyoming cowboy and long live his dreams.
