Visit the Western Folklife Gift Shop
Our gift shop in Elko, Nevada, features art, books, films, jewelry, music, and our own award-winning videos and CDs. We also offer National Cowboy Poetry Gathering memorabilia as well as products from Gathering artists and local artisans. Some items are available for purchase online, but if you don’t see what you’re looking for, please give us a call at 775-738-7508, x234, or toll free at 1-888-880-5885, or email us at wfcstore@westernfolklife.org.
501 Railroad St., Elko, Nevada
Hours:
Mon-Fri, 10am-5:30pm
Sat, 10am-5pm
This colorful hardbound journal features the poster artwork from The Western Folklife Center’s 2026 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Headin’ Out by Clara Smith. The journal includes unlined pages with a ribbon bookmark.
These hardboard coasters feature the 2026 Poster Art, Headin’ Out by Clara Smith. Each coaster has felt backing measuring 4’x 4’.
This Key Chain features the 2026 National Poetry Gathering poster art, Headin’ Out by Clara Smith.
This heavyweight cap s made from 100% brushed organic cotton twill. It is designed with a pre-curved sandwich visor with Tan accents on Navy Blue. The cap image is inspired by the 2024 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Poster: Blue Skies and Good Horses by Teal Blake.
"A Gathering of Recipes" is a cookbook compiled by the Western Folklife Center of favorite recipes and poems from past National Cowboy Poetry Gatherings. Recipes were gathered from artists, participants, and cooking workshops. Spiral bound for easy use, with space to write down what page your favorite recipes can be found on, a multitude of hints and information (such as guides, substitutions, and measurements) in each section. Illustrations and artwork by Meghan Merker.
Poetry included (all copyrighted 2003):
”Betty Crockett” - Sally Harper Bates * “The Cowboy and His Tapeworm” - Baxter Black * “Weary Anticipation” - John Campbell * “He Got Respect,” “My Mon and I” - Joe Casteel * “Chuck’s Cowboy Cafe, ” “Norma’s Bread,” “Norma’s Pie,” “Potato People” - Doris Daley * “Payback Time,” “You Only Need One Pot” - Frank Gleeson * “The Fiddler” - Len Graham *“Swift and Diligent” - Dr. Robin Gwyndaf * “Gates” - Barbara Hall * “Muck Dance Ballet” - Terry Henderson * “Dining Out,” “Grandma’s Homemade Aprons,” “Mealtime,” “The Gourmet Code of the West,” “The Old Comfort Range,” “Toxic Coffee” - Yvonne Hollenbeck * “Frying Bannock” - Ray Lashley * “Elation: Halo Required,” “Farm Girl,” “From the Ravine to the Meadow” - Jake Miller * “Cuisinart” - Joel Nelson * “Cheese, Cheese, Cheese," “Cow Camp Limericks” - Gwen Petersen * “Feelin’ Gaunt I Decided to Cook Beans” - Shadd Piehl * “Limburger” - Jim Ross * “Frozen Tofu on Creosoted Post” - Paul Zarzyski
Recipe Chapters: Breads, Rolls * Desserts * Jams, Jellies * Main Dishes * Miscellaneous * Side Dishes * Soups, Salads
Developed by award-winning chuck wagon cook, Kent Rollins. this is a perfect all-purpose seasoning and/or meat rub.
Buy extra and share with your friends.
Order 2 - 5 at a time and save on USPS Priority shipping!
17 ounces
From Kent and Shannon:
The Original blend was first created as a steak rub, but then we got to using it on everything but the coffee and the biscuits! This is a perfect all-purpose seasoning and/or meat rub. It will replace your salt and pepper routine. Our seasoning brings out the natural flavors of food without overpowering them. With a salt and pepper base with a just hint of citrus this will be a go-to seasoning.
Great on: eggs, meat, mac and cheese, and more!
Ingredients: salt, spices including paprika, sugar, dehydrated garlic, citric acid, dehydrated onion, natural flavor, oleoresin turmeric added for color, and not more than 1.0% silicon dioxide added to prevent caking
Gluten Free - No MSG
Our ever-popular campfire mugs have been updated in new colors with horse images from the painting Blue Skies & Good Horses by Teal Blake
This beautiful, jacquard wild rag is available in Blue, Gold, and Purple. The border is inspired by Teal Blake’s Blue Skies and Good Horses. They are 34” X 34”.
2024 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Key Chain features the poster art, Blue Skies & Good Horses, by Teal Blake.
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is the granddaddy of all cowboy poetry events and was recognized by the US Senate for its pioneering role in the preservation and revitalization of this important American tradition, and just in time for our 30th Gathering, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering-The Anthology, a commemorative book of 264 pages, collects over 100 poems by various cowboy poets who have appeared at the Gathering from 1985-2013!
In addition to poems that will make you laugh, sigh, or sit up straight in your saddle, the anthology features expressive photos, biographical head notes, and artwork from our archives here at the Western Folklife Center. It also features illuminating sidebars on topics such as working cattle, life on the land, the relationship between cowboy poetry and song, gear and horses, and profiles of important poets from earlier times.
A foreword by large animal veterinarian and cowboy poet extraordinaire Baxter Black and an additional introduction give context both to the event itself and to cowboy poetry in general from the days of the trail drives in the 19th century to the lives of the hardworking folks still ranching and living on the land in the West today.
(2013) Lyons Press - paperback edition
The 2022 WILD RIDE poster is inspired by the painting Betsy and Blue Buttes: Cowgirl Suite (2021) by WalterPiehl. Dimensions: 32H X 18 W.
With a gloss finish, our beautiful poster for the 37th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering the Rodear Year features the artwork Public Lands by Jack Malotte.
18” W x 24” H
Ships in a poster tube.
Extra large (4.5 ounce) candy bar. Rich blend of milk chocolate, toffee and slivered almonds.
YUM!
Premiering at the 25th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, this CD is a unique double set there is one CD of cowboy poetry and one CD of western music. This collection includes 50 performances 25 poems and 25 songs that were recorded during a Gathering, one selection from every year.
In year order (1985-2008), the music CD contains the following songs as performed by the listed artist: Old Double Diamond by Gary McMahan; Old Paint by John Nielson; Boomer Johnson by Glenn Ohrlin; Owl's Lullaby by Clyde Halemumau "Kindy" Sproat; Bound for the Rio Grande by Sons of the San Joaquin; Spanish is the Loving Tongue by Michael Martin Murphey; Silver Lake Blues by Texas Playboys; The Campfire Has Gone Out by Don Edwards; Trail to Mexico by Buck Ramsey; Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie by R.W. Hampton; Cold & Lonely Night by Mike Beck; Rose of San Joaquin by Tom Russell; Plains Born by Lorraine Rawls; That's How the Yodel Was Born by Riders in the Sky; Wolves by Stephanie Davis; Yodeling Cowhand by Wylie & the Wild West; Romance of Western Life by Gail Steiger; Little High Plains Town by Ian Tyson; Diamond Joe by Ramblin' Jack Elliott; The Wagon Tongue by Red Steagall; Speed the Plow Medley by Quebe Sisters Band; Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas by Sourdough Slim, Whit Smith's Hot Jazz Caravan, and Dave Bourne; Big Balls in Cowtown by Johnny Gimble; Catalogue Dreams by Joni Harms.
In year order (1985-2008), the poetry CD contains the following poems as performed by the listed poet: The Old Timers by Ken Trobridge; Winter in Rock Creek by Slim Kite; Lasca by Tom Eaton; The Flying Outlaw by Waddie Mitchell; The Little Blue Roan by Ross Knox; ThePearl of Them All by Bill Gunn; True Grit by Elizabeth Ebert; Utah Carl by Ray Lashley; The Bad Half Hour by Matt Urrey; The Bronco Twister's Prayer by Yula Sue Hunting; Anthem
(Grass) by Joel Nelson; To Be a Top Hand by Georgie Sicking; Purt Near by Randy Rieman; Buckinghorse Moon by Paul Zarzyski; Ballad of Yukon Jake by Sunny Hancock; Where the Ponies Come to Drink by Vess Quinlan; Purty Ain't Pardners by J.B. Allen; On a Cold Clear Calving Night by Linda Hussa; The Windmill Song by Colen Sweeten; We Are the Poets by Virginia Bennett; Death of the Last Cowhand by Linda Hasselstrom; Things of Intrinsic Worth by Wallace McRae; Hay for Horses by John Dofflemyer; Legend of Boastful Bill by Jerry Brooks. The artists represented here support the Western Folklife Center.
Deep West Records
We are pleased to offer a special 22 track CD of songs and recitations recorded live at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, from 1985 - 2015, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Charles Badger Clark's "Sun and Saddle Leather," a humble book of western verse published in 1915 that quickly became a classic and has since helped define the genre of American cowboy poetry. Badger Clark may be best known (nowadays) for writing "A Cowboy's Prayer," a work that became so popular and widespread that Clark's authorship was largely forgotten—the poem was often credited to "Anonymous." CD includes a 24-page booklet that contains an essay about Charles Badger Clark written by Elaine Thatcher, as well as words to all the poems as published by Clark between 1915 and 1922.CD provides over 74 minutes of Clark's best loved works as performed by:
A Cowboy's Prayer by Owen Johnson, 1985 * The Legend of Boastful Bill by Jerry Brooks, 2014 * Ridin' by Don Edwards & Waddie Mitchell, 2009 * From Town by Cain Eaton, 2000 * The Glory Trail (aka High Chin Bob) by Rod McQueary, 1995 * A Bad Half Hour by Connie Dover & Skip Gorman, 2012 * A Border Affair (aka Spanish is the Lovin' Tongue) by Denise Withnell Cowboy Celtic, 1999 along with lesser known and rarely heard pieces: The Free Wind by Jerry Brooks, 2006 * To Her by Barry Hertz, Joe Hertz & David Wilkie, 2014 * Horseback Men by Gail Steiger, 2013 * The Locoed Horse by Joel Nelson, 1993 * Saturday Night by Lorraine Rawls & Crystal Reeves, 2002 * Song of the Leather by Tom Pearlman, 2001 * The Piano at Red's by Gary McMahan & DW Groethe, 2013 * The Married Man by Randy Rieman, 1993 * Plains Born by Jill Jones & Lone Star Chorale, 2004 * God's Reserves by Linda M. Hasselstrom, 2001 * A Bad Half Hour by Owen Johnson, 1985 * The Long Way by Carl Sharp, 1996 * The Old Cow Man by Don Edwards, 2000 * The Rains by Jim Ross, 1994 * The Old Prospector by Jerry Brooks, 2006
Deep West Records
At the core of our Moving Rural Verse program are poems that powerfully communicate contemporary rural issues, ideas and insight—and, in particular, the subject of water in the West. We believe that the artful fusion of poetry and video will nurture a deeper understanding of rural America and kindle important conversation
Mining the Mother Lode is an animated exploration of the themes explored in Andy Wilkinson's poem of the same name. The film is not a literal adaptation of the poem. Rather it attempts to provide a counter-harmony to Andy's words, reflecting the essence of the poet's vision, just as the poem itself reflects the essence of the diminishing waters of the Ogallala. Directed by Jeremy Boreing. Illustrated by Rebecca Shapiro.
O’ odham Dances is a lyrical film adaptation of Ofelia Zepeda’s poem portraying a Tohono O’odham ritual in which people join with not only the animals of the desert but all the important elements necessary for rain, including winds, clouds, and the heat off the desert. The film shows the dramatic transformation of the Sonoran Desert as night falls—the sun sets, the moon rises, and animals that have quieted their movements through the day’s intense heat come out in search of food and water. Desert images and sounds convey the powerful sense of place and sacred space that Zepeda’s poem evokes. Film by Jonathan VanBallenberghe.
Bendición del agua is a glance into New Mexico's acequia landscape as seen through the eyes of a young woman expressing both the perseverance and loss of traditions, language and culture. The film seeks to give voice to New Mexico’s acequieros who’ve carried on acequia traditions despite challenges of development, rural gentrification and cultural erosion. It is a cinematic awakening for younger generations to honor ancestral traditions that help lead toward a sustainable future through acts of charity, respect, resiliency and a regard for water, land and cultural preservation. Poem by Olivia Romo. Film by Daniel Sonis, with artistic direction from Levi Romero.
Homesteaders, Poor and Dry: In a time of drought, a small girl finds that courage can be drawn like water from a well. The origin of this poem, Homesteaders, Poor and Dry, was a story a friend’s grandmother told of when she was a girl in Texas during a time of drought and grinding poverty. Through an old story, the story of drought and resulting hardship is a recurring theme in the rural West. Poem by Linda Hussa. Film by Chris Simon and Jerry Dugan.
This collection of classic Curly Fletcher (1892-1954) poems includes many of his own favorites that are still recited today, including:
The Tome of Time * The Strawberry Roan * Yavapai Pete * Chuck-Wagon Blues * The Saga of Borax Bill * Lonesome Days * The Cowboy’s Soliloquy * Tioga Jim * The Sheep-Herder’s Lament * The Pot Wrassler * When Desert Flowers Bloom * The Painted Trail * The Cowboy’s Prayer * The Ridge Running Roan * The Saddle Tramp * The Desert Rat * The Cow Pony’s Lament * The Flyin’ Outlaw * Mountain Meadow Memories * Last of the Thundering Herd * Wild Buckeroo * The Valley of Listless Dreams * Meditation
Western Folklife Center founding director Hal Cannon wrote the preface of this edition.
Published by Gibbs M. Smith Inc, Peregrine Smith Books.
An amazing full-color compilation of poems, songs, stories, and pictures drawn from many sources, fully integrated with the accompanying CD. You’ll find cowboy writing, photography, painting, and song in this collection. Edited by Hal Cannon and Thomas West.
Featuring these writers and musicians: JB Allen - Texas, Don Edwards - Texas, RW Hampton - New Mexico, Sunny Hancock - Oregon, Linda Hasselstrom - South Dakota, Teresa Jordan - Wyoming, Rod McQueary - Nevada, Wallace McRae - Montana, Waddie Mitchell - Nevada, Vess Quinlan - Colorado, Buck Ramsey - Texas, Henry Real Bird - Montana, Riders in the Sky, Larry Schutte - Nevada, Ian Tyson - Alberta Canada, Jack Walther - Nevada, and Paul Zarzyski - Montana. With photographs by Kurt Markus and watercolors by William Matthews.
From Simon and Schuster.
With a matte finish, our beautiful poster for the 36th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering features the work, Trail Blazers (2013), by quilt artist and National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow, Marion Coleman; from the collection of Arkainee Ervin.
24” W x 20” H
Ships in a custom poster tube.
Read more about quilt artist Marion Coleman.
In honor of the 35th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, we've issued a numbered, limited-edition reprint of our very first Gathering poster. There are only 150 of these, and we have a hunch they're going to go quick!
13” W x 19” H
Ships in a custom poster tube.
And a big thank you to Elko’s own Print 'n Copy for their diligence and careful attention to detail in making this top-notch reproduction!
H x W
Red Rock Rondo ~ Zion Canyon Song Cycle on DVD spans 150 years beginning with the settlement of the Virgin River Valley by Mormon pioneers in the 19th century, to the founding of Zion National Park in the 20th century, to modern times when artists and urban refugees come to find their own piece of paradise. Red Rock Rondo is Harold Carr (upright bass, spoken word), Charlotte Bell (oboe, English horn), Kate MacLeod (vocals, violin, guitar), Flavia Cerviño-Wood (violin), Hal Cannon (vocals, mandolin, mandocello, banjo, harmonica, accordian, jaw harp), and Phillip Bimstein (vocals, guitar, composer).
The Song Cycle is performed on a lively assortment of folk and classical instruments for ten new songs interwoven with the winds of local residents whose stories inspired composer Phillip Bimstein. Extras: two songs not seen on the TV show, and The Making of Red Rock Rondo. Filmed live in and around Zion National Park.
Close captioned and subtitled in English. Read more about Red Rock Rondo.
A one-hour video examining the emotional trauma of war through the prism of Native American tradition and ceremony. Much of the documentary focuses on members of the Blackfeet tribe in northern Montana and includes interviews and scenes with native spiritual leaders, veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, elder veterans, family members and tribal leaders. Narrated by Peter Coyote. Produced by the Western Folklife Center’s Taki
Telonidis, in collaboration with Gary Robinson of Tribal Eye Productions and KUED Channel 7 Salt Lake City, Utah.
Winner of the 2015 Rocky Mountain Emmy® Award for Best Cultural Documentary!
Featured local artist
Native American artist James Shoshone is a buckaroo and artist who works the life he puts into his art, creating pieces in pen and ink on paper that feature the sights and atmosphere found in Nevada's traditional Great Basin buckaroo and ranching culture, from horses to gear to the wide open lands. In 2020, James is also creating a mural we’re calling “Buckaroo Cats—Tales of the West” on the Western Folklife Center’s Pioneer Hotel, corner of 5th and Railroad Streets, in Elko.
“Here Comes the Storm,” by James Shoshone. Print. (Pen & Ink)
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Banner image by Jessica Brandi Lifland
The 2026 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Wild Rag is a creation of James Shoshone, Native American Artist. This vibrant 34” X 34” scarf is printed on 100% jacquard silk. (First image is Ivory, second image is Peach on left and blue/silver on right)