The National Cowgirl Museum’s Cowgirl University is set to bring attention to famous ranches in the United States and honorees connected to those ranches as it launches its Legendary Ranch Series in 2009.
Each course in the series focuses on ranches that were instrumental in the shaping and definition of the identity of the West. Students will have the unique opportunity to learn about, and from, National Cowgirl Museum Hall of Fame Honorees whose lives and families are often intertwined with these historic ranches. This series is a combination of the Museum’s best, most engaging educational assets: its honorees and the nationally recognized Cowgirl University programming.
The renowned Four Sixes in Guthrie and Tongue River Ranch in Paducah, TX, will be the first destination in the series, March 13-15. Participants will experience a real working cattle and horse ranch while getting an inside look at some of the top breeding programs in the world for American Quarter Horses and beef cattle breeds. Hall of Fame Honoree Anne Marion and her family's impact on the ranching and breeding industry will be profiled at this event.
The focus will turn to the Kokernot o6 in Fort Davis, TX, October 2-4. The Kokernot o6 Ranch has been operating continuously by the Kokernot family for more than a century. This ranch continues traditions by running a quality cow-calf operation, working cattle on horseback, running a wagon twice a year for 30 days at a time, maintaining a large remuda of registered Quarter Horses, and all the while, still running the o6 brand. Hall of Fame Honoree Hallie Stillwell, known as “Queen of the Big Bend,” will be depicted and honored at this event.
“We’re especially excited about this series as it brings a spotlight to a culture that is woven into the very fabric of this country,” said Cowgirl U Program Director Chad Isham. “So much of what is still practiced on these legendary ranches today are life lessons and skills that any of us could use on a daily basis. Hard work, commitment and a belief in values is what made these ranches truly legendary.”
Cowgirl U’s Legendary Ranch Series selections are based on a set of recognized, time-honored criteria:
· Work is done on horseback, from a horse program in which horses are trustworthy, know cattle, and adhere closely to established traditions.
· More often than not, the ranch has been in the same family over a span of multiple generations.
· The ranch has breadth and depth of history; it is undeniably linked to the identity of the American West.
· There exists a clear commitment to traditional ethics of home and family bound by unwritten rules that center on hospitality, loyalty, and respect for the land.
Enrollment to each series, which includes lodging and meals, is limited to 12 and early registration is encouraged. For more information, go to www.cowgirlu.org or call (817) 509-8967.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the American West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire.
Located at 1720 Gendy Street in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, the museum includes interactive exhibit galleries, three theaters, a retail store and a grand rotunda housing the Hall of Fame. The museum is open seven days a week – 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Adult admission is $8 and $7 for children ages 3 to 12 and seniors ages 60 and up. Please visit www.cowgirl.net or call (817) 336-4475 or (800) 476-FAME (3263) for more information.