Reliving the West
"You can run more dudes to the acre in these hills than you can cattle."
-Charles Dismukes
What is Dude Ranching?
Dude Ranching offers a "western experience" vacation for paying guests allowing them to stay on the ranch and enjoy numerous activities associated with ranching and all things western. Most Dude Ranches offer a flat rate for guests that includes housing, dinning, and activities. The term "Dude" was slang for out-of-towner in the earlier days and soon ranches that offered guests vacations became known as the Dude Ranch. On the ranch, guests can enjoy a cowboy experience with each ranch offering a variety of unique activities. These activities include trails rides, horseback riding, cattle drives, fly fishing, western dancing, and all things cowboy.
Abstract
The romanticization of the American West and cowboy lifestyle has been preserved in the uprising of Dude Ranches. The days of cattle drives and working ranches were a short period in American history. The open range era experienced financial collapse in the late 1880s after harsh winter conditions and overcrowding of the Northern plains. When economic distress swept through the range, ranchers needed a new source of income and what better way than to cater to the romance of the cowboy lifestyle by offering guests a complete cowboy experience.
