Novelist Owen Wister Was Born

	Civil War (1860-1865)

Cowboy on cattle ranch near Spur, Texas, 1939

A real cowboy on a cattle ranch in Texas, 1939

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"Home on the Range"

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Credits

Novelist Owen Wister Was Born
July 14, 1860
Even before the Western-type of movie became popular, people were fascinated with life on the frontier. Former Indian scout and buffalo hunter Buffalo Bill Cody brought a cast of 100 cowboys and Indians, a collection of wild animals, and sharpshooter Annie Oakley to the East in 1883. Buffalo Bill's "Wild West Show" played for packed audiences into the 20th century.

If you don't live on a cattle ranch, you can see today's cowboys at a rodeo, or you can pick up a book about the old West and dream about a life of riding into the sunset on the back of your trusty horse. You might want to start with Owen Wister's tale about The Virginian.

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CREDIT: Lee, Russell, photographer. “Cowboy on cattle ranch near Spur, Texas,” 1939. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction Number LC-USF33-012211-M4 DLC.
AUDIO CREDIT: Richardson, James. “Home on the Range,“ 1939. American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Call Number AFC 1939/001 2706a2.