As the industrializing east required more beef, the cattle industry spread across the south-western plains. Isolated and lonely, early ranchers gladly welcomed visitors. They were eager to meet and talk to strangers and hungry for news and companionship.
Similar to the lure of the northern Rockies, the plains were home to many animals that attracted hunting, including deer, elk, and especially buffalo. It was not uncommon for ranchers to develop longstanding relationships with sportsmen. The rancher provided the board, lodging, a horse, and hunting grounds close to the comfort of the lodge; the sportsmen provided news, conversation, companionship, and game for the table.
The great cattle boom ended after the disastrous winter of , when blizzards and bitter cold killed million of cattle. Many ranchers, who refused to accept money from visitors before, now reconsidered the costs of their hospitality.
By , guest business had grown to the point where dudes were a permanent, significant factor in the operation of the ranch. This advertising was enthusiastically brokered by the Northern Pacific Railroad, who also actively marketed both dude ranches and National Parks. The railroad and the government did much early dude ranch advertising.
The inhospitable climate of Europe and advent of World War I closed Europe to vacation travel, and Americans began exploring their own country for vacations. Travel became easier with the advent of the automobile, and access to the west became affordable for millions of middle class families.
The circumstances were disastrous, and ranchers needed a plan to save their livelihood. Guests also knew that it was time to thank ranchers for opening their homes, and soon, visitors were paying for their stays. These were the seeds of a new industry, and thus, dude ranches and guest ranches were born.
When Teddy Roosevelt made his first trip to the Dakotas for a ranch getaway, word of his trip covered the pages of every reputable newspaper. In addition, the expansion of railroads and the growing preservation of Western lands continued to grow. In its early years, the association worked with railroads to increase the number of passengers while promoting dude ranches as destinations.
To this day, ranches from North Dakota all the way to New Mexico remain as places where visitors, dudes and guests alike, enjoy the beauty, outdoor adventure, and Western hospitality that attracted the first visitors. The difference between a dude ranch and guest ranch is a matter of linguistics— call it what you may, but the experience is just the same.
However, both are places that invite guests to share in the warm hospitality and outdoor adventure of the Western lifestyle, or Southwestern in our case! Their names are all a matter of personal preference, but the DRA stamp means that those ranches offer an all-inclusive vacation that immerses visitors into the Western lifestyle of the owners.
Recently, I was asked an interesting question by an individual who had never heard of a dude ranch. I have to admit, I laughed a little when I first heard the question.
He goes on to say, "according to Scott F. Kiesling, the author of a seminal study from the journal American Speech —titled, yes, Dude —the term has long implied a particular understanding of fellowship among guys.
The first known use of the word arose in and its origin is unknown, although some sources say that it is of German origin. Apparently, the Irish ranch hands on the American west applied this term to the ranch guests who visited from the East Coast. Photo courtesy Danielle Otis.
Many dude ranches have horsemanship programs for riders of all levels. Have you ever walked through a barn wearing a pair of chinks with long fringe on the bottom?
Who needs dresses with ruffles when you can have leather fringe? That stuff has some serious twirl-able action to it! But I am getting off topic…. It's okay to play cowboy on a dude ranch vacation--that's the whole point.
Dude ranches are not just for men. No--they are for anyone who wants to experience the spirit of the West. They are for anyone who saw that western movie and wished they could saddle up and ride into the sunset with John Wayne, Roy Rogers, or even Billy Crystal.
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