Cowboy Poetry event at the ranch

The Historical Society held their annual cowboy poetry evening at the Castle Valley Ranch on Aug. 17, 2017. About 100 people gathered on the east lawn of the main lodge building to hear the Straight Canyon Band sing country-western ballads with good old banjo and guitar music. They were also there to hear Sam DeLeeuw recite cowboy poetry and later eat Dutch oven cobbler and ice cream.
This beautiful afternoon and evening was warm and sunny with the few white fluffy clouds passing overhead until the sun dropped below the mountain to the west.
This large audience came to be entertained by the country-western music and the cowboy poetess Sam DeLeeuw. Some of the songs the band sang were “Heart Aches by the Numbers”, “Long-Haired Country Boy”, ”The Cards are On The Table The Wages in The Hole”, “Sadie Was an Outlaw”, “Wings of a Dove” and “Love is Like a Dying Ember”.
Chairman Lori Ann Larsen welcomed everyone to the cowboy poetry and reminded them that this event has been held every year for many years. She then asked Bus Mead to offer an opening prayer. She then asked Phil Fauver, his wife Marilyn, along with Jim and Jennifer Fauver his son and daughter-in-law to come forward to be part of Phil’s receiving a Certificate of Appreciation for capturing pictures and preserving a part of Emery County’s History for several years. Phil thanked Chairman Lori Ann Larsen, the Historical Society Board and everyone for the honor of letting him be part of these events.
In the center of the certificate of appreciation is a photograph of Phil Fauver with his camera.
Chairman Larson then thanked Jim Fauver for letting the Historical Society to use the Castle Valley Ranch, free of charge each year for this cowboy poetry presentation. She also thanked the Historical Society volunteer board for all the help that they provide in making these events possible.
She thanked the members of the Straight Canyon band for providing the country-western music. They are as follows: Bob Baker guitar, Charlene Davis on the drums, Kevin Peacock on a rhythm guitar and Dean Wimpey the newest member of this band. Dean also plays a rhythm guitar. She said we are very grateful that we have the Straight Canyon Band with us tonight.
Sam DeLeeuw, the cowboy poetess was introduced by Chairman Larsen with a bit of Sams history. For twenty plus years Sam was a rancher’s wife, with cows, horses, sheep and two daughters that were rodeo queens. At college, she was the only girl in the agriculture curriculum and was a popular date because she helped with the branding. Her ranching background gives her ideas for her often humorous poetry and stories. Much of her poetry is taken from her own family genealogy and much of daily ranch life. Her awards and honors are too numerous to mention. Raised in Blackfoot Idaho she now makes her home just outside Ogden Utah.
Sam DeLeeuw started off by asking how many of you are rancher’s wives? You could be a rancher’s wife if you live in a $65,000 house and make payments on the $250,000 barn. You could be a rancher’s wife if that beautiful bottle of hand lotion on the counter is replaced by a can of udder balm. Sam said, I found that out long time ago. While reciting her exciting poetry Sam illustrated with gestures and sound effects.
She asked the question how many of you know what a big windy is? A big windy is not what you have because you had beans and franks the night before. On the trail drive when you come in the evening to sit around the fire. Contrary to what you see on television there is not a 200 string orchestra out in the sagebrush. All they had would be a mouth harp and stories. One person would tell a story and then another would tell a bigger story and you had to roll up your britches because it would get pretty deep. These are the big windie’s.
The above humor led into many more stories that Sam DeLeeuw told this evening. Many of the stories that she told were about rancher’s wives, their hardships sorrows and joys as they helped their husbands with the running of a ranch.
Sam DeLeeuw has written a book filled with her poetry titled “Ladies, Horses and Cowboys”. She also has several compact discs of cowboy poetry for sale. Much of her poetry relates to experiences she had as a young girl, as a wife, as a mother and as a grandmother living on a ranch.
After Sam DeLeeuw had told several stories through cowboy poetry the Straight Canyon Band came back onstage to perform at a few more country-western songs.
With the sun setting in the West and at the close of the cowboy poetry program Lori Ann Larsen announced that the peach cobbler, cherry cobbler and vanilla ice cream were ready to be served and the crowd headed towards the food.