Over the past thirty years, I’ve watched dozens of men be inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame.
I’ve written several of the inductees’ nomination letters and helped families organize many more. This weekend as I listened to the life stories of four more inductees, the reason it all feels so important and poignant became clear to me. Listening to their life stories transports me back to their time. Back to a time when being strong, confident and capable was important; and when living a hardscrabble financial life didn’t mean you weren’t a successful person. Back to a time when there was still room in the world to break and ride horses for a living, and to a time when going on a vacation meant taking an afternoon to go trout fishing or sitting ‘round a campfire with friends while driving cattle home in the fall.
Many of the Hall’s inductees come from different backgrounds but they all have one thing in common, having a true love and mastery of the culture and traditions of Great Basin ranching and horsemanship, and the tools that made it all possible. In their own ways, each of these men were both simple and complex, just like the horses they rode and the lives they led.
When I think of many of the inductees that I knew personally, they all had something in common. For me, it was things like their weathered working man’s hands, solid hand shake and the way they looked you straight in the eyes. They had an earnest approach to life, a sparkle in their eyes when they discussed good horses, dogs or their life on the range, and a mostly satisfied attitude about how they had spent their time on our planet. Even those who seemed troubled, were generally honest enough to separate their chosen profession from troubles with alcohol, relationships or other problems. Most of the men I knew raised solid families and were loved and admired by their spouses, children and friends. I think another impression I always had was that you felt safe in their presence. These were real men who wouldn’t hesitate to protect those around them.
Each year, round about a hundred folks show up to celebrate new inductees over Labor Day weekend. The crowd consists of family and friends, the inductees themselves if they are still with us; and the regulars, families and individuals who support the Hall and simply enjoy hearing about men who inspire us still and make us long for simpler times if not easier times.
To be inducted into the Buckaroo Hall of Fame, you must be at least 85 years of age, and have spent a life actively engaged in Great Basin ranching, buckaroo style horsemanship and/or crafting the traditional tools used by the buckaroo. Not every old buckaroo will get accepted, for now at least, the Hall’s ranks are reserved for the legends, men whose names, and reputations precede them, at least among the ranching and horsey set here in the Great Basin.
If you wonder about the name BUCKAROO, and why we don’t use the term cowboy instead, here’s the simple explanation. Great Basin horsemanship and cattle working traditions come from a Spanish style developed and brought to the Great Basin by the Californios. Buckaroo is a bastardization of the word Vaquero, or cow man. Around here, we say cowboys come from Texas, we’re buckaroos. So when you see flat hats, wild rags, slick fork saddles, silver Santa Rosa shank bits and horse hair mecates, you know you’re in the Great Basin. Cowboys from Texas tie their ropes hard and fast to their saddles, while buckaroos dally up, which means taking turns around the saddle horn with a lass rope after heading or heeling an animal.
If you live in the area and haven’t visited the Buckaroo Hall of Fame, it’s located in the East Hall of the Winnemucca Convention Center on the first floor. There are several large glassed in display boxes filled with artifacts and history about a couple local ranches (including ours) as well as a large display of pictures, artwork and working gear belonging to inductees.
All the old black & white pictures, slick fork saddles, spurs, and other gear are amazing to look at and I think if you slow down and close your eyes for a moment, you just might hear the sound of jingle bobs, or smell the leather, dust and sweat coming off cattle, men and horses as they ride down the trail and into history.
(More information about Great Basin Ranching and Buckaroo life can be found through the Buckaroo Hall of Fame on Facebook, the Great Basin Cultural Center and National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko NV and through buckaroosinparadise@loc.gov)
Kris Stewart is a rancher in Paradise Valley, Nevada.