A Cowboy Toast

May a Stetson lie close to your favorite boots,
May a saddle be where you sit.
May you always remember your Western roots,
Full of try and empty of quit.
- Lincoln Rogers

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"A Cowboy Toast" courtesy of Lincoln Rogers, www.lincolnrogers.com
Till Goodan illustration, collection J. Davis

A Cowboy's Christmas

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A Christmas Poem

Christmas is a-comin' soon!
Pardner, ain't ya seen?
The decorations showed up
In the stores on Halloween!

The papers just plumb fulla ads;
Some days it's three feet thick!
That's good-we got a woodstove,
'N' we're short on kindlin' sticks.

The kids all hope that Santa
Brings 'em ever'thing they chose;
"I want a Nintendo!"
"Please don't bring me any clothes!"

The Sally Army's out in force,
A-tunin' up their band;
I always drop a dollar,
'Cause they once gave me a hand.

There's some who say we've lost the track,
'N' don't know rhyme or reason,
That all this hooraw overlooks
The spirit of the season.

They point 'n' say I don't believe,
'Cause in church ya'll never find me;
But I don't need no hymns, or prayers,
Or crosses to remind me.

This year, I think I'll try
What one ole cowpoke used to do;
I'll saddle up, 'n' leave a note:
"Back in an hour, or two."

I'll ride west outta Reno,
A-followin' the river,
'Way up into the mountains
Where the air's so cold it shimmers.

Far away from stores 'n' crowds,
Where the only single sound
Will be my pony's muffled steps
Through the snow upon the ground.

'N' when I reach the perfect spot
(I'll know it when I'm there),
I'll doff my hat, 'n' feel
The icy wind blow through my hair.

I'll find the brightest star that night,
Gaze up at it, 'n' say,
"Happy Birthday, Boss,"
'N' then I'll softly ride away.

- Charley Sierra

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Illustration by Till Goodan, collection J. Davis
"A Christmas Poem" by Charley Sierra, © 1994 Rip-Snortin' Press

Ray Rector, Cowboy Photographer

John Graves writes in his introduction to Cowboy Life On The Texas Plains

"there a couple of main troubles with trying to say in print anything worth saying about cowboys... an astounding lot has already been said about them, both by old cowboys themselves in reminiscences written or dictated late in life, and by observers of whom quite a few have been thoughtful persons with a good knowledge of the subject."

Mr. Graves has a point. Words can, and often do, fail us. Photography rarely does. Photographs append meaning to those events we read about. Most importantly, for me, photographs inform in ways words cannot...

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Ray Rector c.1902

Ray Rector was a working cowboy. He plied his trade on the high plains ranches of the Texas Panhandle. As a cowhand on the XIT, Rector took part in several cattle drives. And, like many cowboys, Ray was prone to wander. But he never lost his roots. Homesickness, combined with the need to overcome malaria contracted in California, bought him back to the healthful environment of West Texas. He settled in Stamford, Texas in 1902.

Stamford, Texas c.1903

No longer able to work as a cowboy, Ray and his brother Glen bought a photography business from a photographer named Higginbotham. Higginbotham taught the two young men everything he knew about the craft of taking and developing photographs.

Glen Rector moved to California soon after he and Ray established Rector & Rector. Ray continued to take photographs in Stamford, then a bustling and growing farm and ranch supply center. Portraits. Circus parades. Church socials. Street scenes. The coming of the railroad. Ranch life. Cowboys at work and at play.

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SMS Flat Top Ranch cowboys branding a calf

Rector was happiest when he was taking pictures of the everyday activities and entertainments of ranchers and cowhands. His constant companion, a Kodak Autograph camera, was the tool he used to relive his cowboy days. Rector made many friends amongst those men, he took photographs on the Flat Top, Spur and Throckmorton divisions of the SMS Ranch.

SMS Ranch Cowboys Saddle-up



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Mr. Rector loved the cowboy way of life. He knew it would change. He also knew what was needed to keep the flame alive... a grand cowboy get together. Old timers, working cowboys and greenhorns. A get together that would perpetuate the cowboy life style he loved so dearly. Rector worked with other Stamford businessmen to realize his vision of a cowboy get together. He worked hard. The cowboy still in him.

Grand Entrance, Texas Cowboy Reunion Rodeo c.1930

The Texas Cowboy Reunion, first held in Stamford, Texas in 1930 was mostly the result of Ray Rectors' ideas and efforts.The reunion is today the largest cowboy get together and amateur rodeo in the world. Still held in Rays' hometown of Stamford. On July 4th weekend for over 70 years. Be there.

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Ray Rector was born on November 23, 1884, in Indian Gap, Texas. He died at his home in Stamford, Texas in January 1933. Thanks Ray... and Happy Trails.

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The photographs taken by Rector serve to remind me of a way life many think disappeared. It's still with us. Changed, one has to look harder to find it. Hell, you have to get off the interstate. You even have to get out of the car. Takes a little looking, but it's there. The cowboy life. And, you can bet your boots that you'll see a cowboy with a camera when you get there.

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Margaret Rector, Rays' daughter, donated over one thousand negatives and prints to the Harry Ranson Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin in 1979. She and her brother Tommy knew how important it was to preserve what was so important to their father. Without their efforts Ray Rectors' photographs, and the history they document, may well have faded into oblivion. My hat's off to them.

M.L. Leddy

Much has been written in the name of M.L. Leddy. I'm pretty certain that the words I put down here are near superfluous. But here goes...

Frank Leddy advertising art, 1947

For those who don't know, M.L. Leddy's makes the finest custom cowboy boots you can buy. Handmade. West Texas style. Bad ass. And beautiful. As cowboy boots should be.

M.L. Leddy and his five brothers started making cowboy boots in 1922. Beverly Franklin Allen, Leddy's granddaughter, and her brother, Wilson Franklin, continue that tradition today in San Angelo, Texas.

I've owned quite a few pairs of Leddy cowboy and cowgirl boots over the years. Still have regrets of having to sell a couple of pairs. Hard times. But I'm glad to have held on to the pairs that I still have. Wear 'em too. Damn good cowboy boots.

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M.L. Leddy & Sons advertising art, 1979

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Wilson Leddy, one of M.L.'s brothers, made these incredible cowgirl boots for Juanita Gray. Equestrian Artist. Rodeo Queen. Horsewoman. Cowgirl. Her boots speak her voice even today.

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M.L Leddy & Sons advertising art, 1979

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My favorite M.L. Leddy's boots. Going on forty. Still kick ass. These will tell you more about West Texas Style than you may care to know. Can't help but "walk like I mean it" when I pull these on.... and they hold a stirrup!

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Monte Foreman illustration used in 1947 Frank Leddy Boot and Saddlery Catalog
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Frank Leddy Boot and Saddlery in Ft. Worth made these boots in 1947. Notice the boot pulls set behind the side seams? Mr. Leddy called them "dog ears". A good idea... the set back pulls make it easier to get the boots on, but I think his "straddle ears" made for a better looking boot. One thing for certain though, dog ear, straddle ear or mule ear pulls a cowboy couldn't go wrong buying Leddy cowboy boots. That's still true today.

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M.L. Leddys logo, 2008

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These are a couple of years new. From M.L. Leddy's Vaquero line of cowboy and cowgirl boots. Still a challenge to get on and off. Boot pulls and bootjack required. Fit like a glove. Excellent finish. High quality cowboy boots. And reasonable. You can pay more for other makers "stock" cowboy boots, but you can't get any better.


These bad boy M.L. Leddy's Vaquero boots come with a story too. I'll get to that another time.

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Juanita Gray's M.L. Leddy's boots. Former Collection: J. Davis
M.L. Leddy's cowboy boots. Collection: J. Davis
Frank Leddy cowboy boots. Collection: J. Davis
Advertising & Catalog Art. Collection: J.Davis
All photography: J. Davis

Mustang

Mustang. The word conjures up all manner of images in my mind's eye. After reading Deanne Stillmans' book, Mustang. The Saga of The Wild Horse In The American West, those images have greater meaning for me.


Eloquent and entertaining. A series of related narratives. Finely written and rigorously researched. Ms. Stillman has given us a book much more than the sum of it's parts...

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Mustangs. Broncos. Rough stock. Cowboys. Rodeos. Her narrative Rawhide: Of Cow Ponies and Bucking Broncos bought these images to mind.

. Bucking Broncs . Cowboys . Eight seconds .

Let 'er buck!

Untitled by John A. Stryker

Joe Alexander on "Pet" by James Fain

Untitled by Gary Winogrand

Great photographs by master photographers. Stryker and Winogrand have been my "subjects" before... check out the archives. Working on a post about James Fain. Stay tuned.

And buy Deanne Stillman's book. Mustang belongs on everyones' bookshelf.

Photographs: Collection J. Davis

1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77

I've been a fan of vintage Nocona cowboy boots for longer than I can remember. Damn good cowboy boots. First class all the way.

This 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77 was printed during what the late Tyler Beard referred to as the "Golden Age of Cowboy Boots". Inspired design. Master Craftsmen. Savvy Marketing. And a lot of hard work.The Nocona Cowboy Boot in all its' glory.

Ms. Enid Justin and her "boys" at Nocona were on a roll. Catalogs were the axle on which that Nocona wheel rolled. Their catalogs were mailed out, handed out and handed down. There are some extraordinary cowboy boots on these pages.





























Ms. Enid had a passion for Cowboy boots. She was an astute business woman as well. Nocona's mail order forms and self-measuring kits reflected her understanding of the market.

All "penciled in" prices on the pages of this catalog were at the hand of the original owner. The price list, order forms and a self-measuring kit associated with this catalog are posted in the archives. See: 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Mail Order Kit

1948 Nocona Boot Catalog No. 77: Collection of J. Davis
Photography: J. Davis

1948 Nocona Boot Co. Mail Order Kit

Sent out with a catalog and tape measure, these materials completed a Nocona Boot Company Mail Order Kit.

A cowboy could order a "stock" boot. The order form was simple and easy to use. Or he could spend an extra couple of bucks and Nocona would make the boots custom for him. Either way he received a tremendous value for his dollar.

"If it is Snap, Style, Quality, Fit or Workmanship that you want in your Boots, we are ready to give you the benefit of the years of experience, thus assuring you of every particular."

The Catalog that was an integral part of this mail order kit is available for your viewing pleasure and edification. See: 1948 Nocona Boot Co. Catalog No. 77

Nocona Mail Order Kit: J. Davis
Photography: J. Davis