Activities
A century ago, America’s guest ranches were pioneering adventure travel long before we knew we needed it
News flash: Experiential tourism isn’t new.
In the second century AD, Roman travelers, eager for a float down the Nile, were carving their names into Egyptian temple walls. In the 1700s British aristos hightailed it to the Continent to immerse themselves in European customs. In 1926, Americans weren’t thinking about longevity treatments, infinity pools or schlepping around the campagna with Michelin-starred chefs. The Frontier was still a living memory, and upmarket travelers hungered for horses, mountains, campfires and a chance to exchange the coal smoke and crowded cities for the range’s fresh air and wide-open spaces popularized by writer Zane Grey’s cowboy pulse-pounders. Enter the Dude Ranchers’ Association, founded 100 years ago to promote such Western vacations and ensure travelers could find authentic ranches where they could embrace outdoor living rather than read about it.
In this context the word “dude” isn’t Gen X slang, it means a “newbie.” In the early 20th century it referred to an East Coast urbanite—a tenderfoot who had never thrown a saddle over a horse or slept under the stars. Living as a cowboy in the Dakota Badlands during his 20s, New Yorker Teddy Roosevelt celebrated the life. “I do not believe there ever was any life more attractive to a vigorous young fellow than life on a cattle ranch,” he wrote in his autobiography. Ranchers adopted the nickname with good humor, and before long, the places welcoming these visitors became known as dude ranches. Historians trace the origins of the dude ranch to 1882, when Howard Eaton and his brothers accepted their first paying guest at their cattle ranch near Medora in the Dakota Territory. The Eatons, now in Wyoming, still host guests today. (See the “Field Notes” below for a list of current ranches)
What began as an escape for wealthy Easterners soon evolved into one of America’s first experiential vacations, inviting guests not simply to see the West but to participate in it. A century later, the details may be different but the promise of the dude ranch and contact with the working cowboys remain little changed.
Families still arrive seeking horses instead of highways, conversations instead of screen time, and landscapes large enough to remind them that life is very different on the Western range. In an age obsessed with authenticity, the dude ranch is less a relic than a remarkably modern answer to what many travelers say they’re searching for now.
Written by Andrew Nelson
Read the full article here.
The Dude Ranchers’ Association
Curious about the full list of The Dude Ranchers’ Associations’ ranches? Sort through them using our Find a Ranch tool or choose a ranch by location.
Contact the Dude Ranchers Association:
[email protected] | 307-587-2339 | 1122 12th St., Cody, WY 82414
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