CSC gathering explores the 'cowboy way'

In addition to the opening of the new permanent exhibit at the Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center to study the history of cattle ranching on the Northern Plains, about two dozen poets and performers hashed out the “cowboy way” through rhyming verse during Chadron State’s annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Memorial Hall on Friday night and all day Saturday. During the event, attendees were treated to the Western Art Show and Sale, which features 16 artists from Nebraska and South Dakota. Chadron State rodeo club members served as hosts for the show.

At cowboy poetry gatherings such as CSC’s, the artists draw upon their unique styles to provoke thought and laughter, often through recurring themes: The subject may be the hard work and hard luck that a cowhand endures while making ends meet. Through cowboy vernacular, they rhyme about struggles with livestock, climate, wildlife and the land. They tell about their faith, family and experiences growing older through the changes and constants of a rural setting.

Then, the poets occasionally wander away from the beaten trail with a piece like Tim Nolting’s epic tale of a cowpuncher who convinces partners that there’s money to be had by driving a herd of turtles – yes, the critters with shells on their backs -- north.

Cowboy poets say there’s something in the genre for everyone.

“It’s story set to rhyme, but it’s approachable. It’s for the common man,” said Lyn Messersmith of Alliance, who has been reciting her poems in public since 1992.

“Even if you’ve never cowboyed, you can relate to cowboy poetry because it talks about who we are and what makes us. If I had to characterize it in one word, it’s ‘honest.’ Well, except for the parts we make up,” she said with a laugh.

Nolting, who lives near Bushnell, has been attending cowboy poetry events since 1988. He’s been to the large events like the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev., and many smaller ones like Chadron State’s. He attends six to 10 gatherings each year.

“The big events are nice, but I like the smaller ones better,” Nolting said. “There is more of an opportunity to get to know one another.”

Loree MacNeill, CSC’s director of cultural programs who makes no claims of being a cowgirl, said the Cowboy Poetry Gathering relates well to northwest Nebraska’s western heritage, and helps bring quality entertainment to an appreciative audience. She said attendance during Saturday’s performances was double that of the previous two years.

“We are in the middle of ranch country. We have a history of cattle and a connection to the land that we should not forget,” she said. ‘

The poets expressed hope that the CSC gathering will continue and grow.

“Loree has done a nice job of balancing the big names with everyday people like myself who are just out here doing it for enjoyment,” Nolting said.

People from as far away as Kimball and Valentine drove to see Saturday night’s performance of cowboy music by recording artist Michael Martin Murphey, who has had a string of hits and reached the top of the charts in the 1970s with “Wildfire.” He closed his show with classics “Little Joe the Wrangler” and “Strawberry Roan.” Nationally renowned cowboy poets Baxter Black and Waddie Mitchell were featured the first two years.

The performers of the gathering ranged in experience and age from Kane Wellnitz, 10, of Chadron to seniors such as Willard Hollopeter of Wood Lake, who recited a tribute to a grandson who was recently killed in Iraq.

The poets who are musically inclined sing their tunes in the same manner they would be presented around a cattle drive campfire, perhaps to the sound of a guitar, harmonica, or clacking wooden spoons.

The performers often find they have a lot in common. Nolting met his future wife, fellow performer and former CSC faculty member Deb Carpenter, at a cowboy poetry event, and Messersmith is married to Bruce, another cowboy poet. Deb and Lyn met at Valentine’s first cowboy poetry gathering and have since performed jointly on stages throughout the region and collaborated on a couple recordings.

Lyn has been to gatherings throughout the West, but says she likes being with the “home folks” in Nebraska best.

“Cowboy poetry’s great wherever you go, but it’s good to come home to people who have the same common ground and basic life experiences,” she said. “Cowboys have the same heart all over the West, but we do things a certain way in the Sandhills, different than they do in Buckaroo Country or down in Texas.”