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.

Max Kegley, Desert Rat

Max Kegley was a “Desert Rat”... which by definition is “one who habitually and of his own free will frequents the desert.” He was also an extraordinary photojournalist. His curiosity and passion for the state and citizens of Arizona knew no bounds.


Not much is known today about Max Kegley, but his published photographic essays. Loot of a Desert Rat and Rodeo, The Sport of the Cow Country, are important works. More than the sum of their parts, these books help us understand our heritage.

I admire this man and his work and feel it most appropriate to let his words tell the first part of his story. His photographic essays can tell you the rest.

"Arizona became my adopted state in November of 1926 when having foresaken the chill of a snowbound country, I stepped off the train into a land of sunshine. Palm trees silhouetted an early dawn and a mocking bird’s cheery song sounded a royal welcome. I felt sure that I had found a spot that I should enjoy always, and a decade has confirmed that belief.”

“Being a lover of out-of-doors, I have taken full advantage of my opportunity to be with nature. (A borrowed camera, and later my own photographic equipment, have added to my enjoyment of her wonders.)”

“It is my hope that this work may influence others to leave the beaten paths and to seek the beauty found by the by-ways that wind through this picturesque state.”

Kegley’s portrayal of Arizona and her people is straight forward and informed. Cowboys. Indians. Rodeo. The Round-up. Sheep Drives. Desert Life. Cacti and the wonders of Arizona’s landscape. Not much escaped his curiosity or eye.

The photos and captions below are from his book Rodeo, The Sport of Cow Country.

"Cowboy "trappings", hats, boots, chaps and other accessories, are a cowboy's greatest extravagance. Fifty bucks is not too much for a pair of boots he likes, but he usually rolls his own cigarettes."

"Celebrities of Rodeo. Left to right: Fritz Traun, World's Champion, 1940, Paul Carney, World's Champion, 1939, and Burel Mulkey, World's Champion, 1938. They are great pals. With no rodeo scheduled for a few weeks, they were at Paul Carney's place roping calves and matching their ponies for side bets."

"If the Judges were looking at this second, G.W. Cox would score well - his spurs are deep in the bronc's shoulders."

"Fritz Traun stopped at the soft drink stand back of the chutes. He is seriously studying the program and not much aware of this feminine admirer."

Arizona Highways selected some of Kegley’s cacti photographs to use when they first decided to reproduce color photographs. Loot of a Desert Rat was self-published in 1938. Rodeo, The Sport of the Cow Country was published by Hastings House in 1942. His work can be found on many postcards depicting the Southwest.

Portrait of Max Kegley: Frank Coffin
All other photography: Max Kegley
Max Kegley quotes from Loot of a Desert Rat