Table of Contents
A Hat and A Hammer
The tourism legacy of teh Rockies most famous cowboy, Bud Brewster
GJ Bucking Horses
The end of the trail for the renowned Kispiox Valley bucking horse string of Gene and Joy Allen.
Frederic Remington
The life and art of the master of the Old West.
Hot Summer Dates!
Our Canda-wide picks of multi-day countrymusic festivals- and the stars that shine!
Western Art Guide
Showcasing a taste of some of the finest art and artisans at Canada’s largest and most prestigious western art show.
One-Man Doctoring
Linda Peterson’s serene photo essay of a lone cowboy doctoring a calf.
Favourites? You bet…….
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| Western Canada is famous for world-calibre pick up men and here are five of the reasons why at the 75th Annual Ponoka Stampede; from left, Jim Kelts, Jeff Resch, Jason Resch, Blake Schlosser and Gary Rempel. After the end of this year, you’ll never see an image like this again as Blake Schlosser has decided to retire from the arena. Not only is he a superb pick up man, but the rancher and working cowboy is a truly phenomenal roper and a wizard with a bullwhip. Photo by Mike Copeman |
I believe all editors have their favourite magazine issues. There is always one special issue that due to its content sparks something deep inside them. For me, it’s the western art issue.
Cowboy’s main designer, the wildly exotic Zuzana, and I pour over the hundreds of images of paintings, sculptures and artisan works. Choosing the art that makes it onto the pages is a multi-step process that involves what could be best described as “professional zeal”. There is only so much space and so much incredible art that together we try to choose representations of the vast array of styles and mediums. There’s nothing easy about this issue but I love it anyway, mainly because it whets my appetite for the ‘real thing’—the day that I walk into the mammoth Roundup Centre on the Stampede grounds and see the art in person. The artists, many of whom have become my friends, are as diverse as their art. I thoroughly enjoy visiting and hearing the story behind the pieces; it all adds to my Stampede experience.
Being a cowboy is quite an art and we have a photo essay of a working cowboy. We have literally thousands of readers who do the same thing as a matter of course, yet for the few that haven’t experienced it; you’ll be impressed by the serenity and peacefulness of the scenes. This job is performed hundreds of times on hundreds of ranches and you can see why (when everything is going well) that being a cowboy is still a draw.
There are many terrific articles in this issue; from the Remington Art Gallery (yes, THAT Remington), to our Trail Blazer chuckwagon man, Jim Ross and an article on Bud Brewster, the man who made it his life’s work to show visitors the real Rockies. We also bring you the story on some of B.C.’s great bucking horses over in the Kispiox Valley.
There are many great events to look forward to this summer, including the stunning show, Cavalia and our Top Ten list of country music festivals across the West.
We’ve also included our annual Western Vacation Map which lists many events and attractions near and dear to the western hearts here in Canadian Cowboy Country.