FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2007
CONTACT: Martyn Beeny, (605) 773-8161, martyn.beeny@state.sd.us

 South Dakota Historical Society Book Perfect for National Day of the American Cowboy

PIERRE, S.D.—July 28 is the National Day of the American Cowboy. Celebrate this great day by reading the latest book from the South Dakota State Historical Society, Cowboy Life: The Letters of George Philip, which provides a true-life view of South Dakota’s cowboys.

In 2006, the United States Senate noted that:

• There are 800,000 ranchers in the U.S.;
• Rodeo is the sixth most-watched sport in the United States;
• Membership in rodeo and other organizations encompassing the livelihood of a cowboy transcends race and sex and spans every generation;
• The cowboy is truly an American icon

Cowboy Life depicts the wild, but true, lives of cowboys in South Dakota’s open range era. The book features 21 letters from George Philip (Scotty’s nephew) to his children, detailing hard days and hi-jinks in the saddle in South Dakota in the early 1900s.

During his years as a cowboy, Philip epitomized the legacy of the American cowboy as he rode across the ranges from Fort Pierre, south to the Nebraska border, north to the Grand River, west to Rapid City, and everything in between. His letters take the reader galloping into rattlesnake country on ornery horses, where they can share the dreaded Texas Itch, and take midnight rambles in graveyards and trips to Mexico. These are not tall tales though. Philip does not romanticize cowboy life, instead he tells it as it was—boils and all.

Philip provides fascinating insights into the development of the West, South Dakota, and the cowboy’s life, from branding and roping to navigating across the plains by stars and buttes. His mixture of humor, hard-nosed “horse-sense,” and poignant reflection inject these places and characters with life.

Cathie Draine, Philip’s granddaughter, provides the introduction to the book, offering insights into Philip’s career and character. Accompanying each letter are 20 pen-and-ink drawings from award-winning Black Hills artist Mick B. Harrison. In an afterword, Richard W. Slatta, author of Cowboy: The Illustrated History and Cowboys of the Americas, places Philip’s experiences within the wider context of ranching in South Dakota in the years of the open range.

Draine and Harrison will be signing copies of their book on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 1 p.m. at Borders in Rapid City.

Available for $25.95 plus shipping and tax, Cowboy Life can be purchased from most bookstores, or ordered directly from the South Dakota State Historical Society Press.  Visit www.sdshspress.com or call (605) 773-6009.