Western Folklife Center

Play Your Hand at the Western Folklife Center

The Western Folklife Center is hosting a free community event featuring the games people play every Wednesday through July 23.

The game on July 2 is La Lotería, a Mexican bingo game that is family-friendly and fun for all. Join us at the Pioneer Saloon for lessons at 6:00 pm or come to join the open play at 7:00 p.m.

View the poster.
Click here for more information about Play Your Hand.

How Cowboy Poetry Got Its Start

Courtesy of the Artist

As the Western Folklife Center gears up for the silver anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering next January, Ranch Rhymes will "turn an inward gaze" to the genre, exploring our archives for poetry and song that is specifically about Elko, the Gathering and the tradition itself. Over the coming months we will periodically feature artists who have taken inspiration from the whirlwind that is the world of cowboy poetry, starting with Frank Gleeson's aptly named poem "Cowboy Poetry," recorded in Elko in 1997.

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We are on YouTube!

Watch the 2008 Deep West Videos on our nonprofit YouTube page. These videos premiered at the 2008 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, where we not only screened our traditional Deep West Videos, but also launched a new initiative: Old West, New West: Grabbing the Future by the Horns. Since 2000, we've been working with ranchers and other rural people to produce short videos and slide shows about their lives on the land. Using the tools of digital communication, these home-made productions are simple yet elegant; they are not glossy and commercial, but from the heart.

The mission of Deep West Video is to tell first-hand stories from the rural West that are rooted in the values of life on the land. Deep West Videos are supported by the R. Harold Burton Foundation, and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. The Old West, New West Video initiative is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Back at the Ranch - An Artful Life

Photo by Michael Houghton

Back at the Ranch – An Artful Life showcases the expressive culture of the ranching community. Learn more about the virtual exhibit.

Click here to visit our virtual exhibit and view the Western Folklife Center’s collection of contemporary handcrafted horse gear, learn about the people who made them, enjoy listening to some of the favorite poems and songs from ranch country, and watch short videos about the “Art of Gearmaking,” of saddles, spurs, reatas and more.