[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 14 (Thursday, January 23, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S332-S333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

   RECOGNIZING THE 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL COWBOY POETRY 
                               GATHERING

 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the 
40-year anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. ``The 
Gathering'' is a weeklong coming-together of people rooted in the 
poetry, music, and arts of cowboy country that takes place every year 
in the high-desert cowboy town of Elko, NV. The week of January 27 to 
February 1, 2025, marks the 40th anniversary of this celebration.
  Cowboys are often seen as a symbol of the American West. Though 
popular media has influenced the perception of this symbol as a 
grizzled figure on the range, cowboys represent the modern resilience 
of the West. They continue to adapt to their current circumstances, and 
since the 19th century, cowboy poetry has played an important role in 
sharing, remembering, and expressing the social, environmental, and 
political changes the West has experienced.

[[Page S333]]

  The Gathering was first produced in 1985 by a small group of 
folklorists and poets, and after 40 years, it has grown into a national 
and international weeklong celebration of the cultural expression of 
the rangeland West. Cowboy poetry is one of the most popular forms of 
occupational poetry, and in 2000, Congress designated this event as the 
National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
  Today, the Gathering brings together thousands of people, ranging 
from cowboys and saddlemakers to insurance salespersons and plumbers, 
all of whom share a mutual admiration, respect, and dedication to what 
the West was, is, and will be. The celebration features more than 40 
artists and dozens of events to forge connections and grow knowledge 
through food, gear, film, discussions, dance, music, verse, and more.
  The Gathering is held every year in Elko, which is the largest town 
in northeastern Nevada and abuts the scenic Ruby Mountains. Elko was 
founded in 1869 with the Transcontinental Railroad and has a storied 
tradition of ranching and mining. As the heart of northeast Nevada, 
Elko is a fitting place to honor the traditions of cowboy poetry.
  The event takes place at venues throughout Elko, but the heart of the 
Gathering is at the Western Folklife Center, headquartered in the 
historic Pioneer Hotel. The Western Folklife Center was founded in 1980 
and provides a platform for rural and urban communities to communicate 
and exchange new ideas and avenues of expression. They produced the 
first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 1985, and it remains their signature 
event, with programming changing to reflect contemporary realities and 
issues of the American West.
  As a representative of Nevada and the West, I know how important our 
rural communities are to our State's and country's economy and culture. 
The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is so special because it brings 
together a broad community of different identities, all of whom are 
deeply connected to the Western life. Charles Greenhaw, a member of the 
steering committee of the first Gathering, wrote, ``If the Gathering 
can be characterized in a word it's warmth. Why? Who knows. Maybe 
because when we aren't hemmed-in, we are all cowboys and poets.''
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the National Cowboy 
Poetry Gathering's 40 years of celebrating, remembering, and passing 
down the creative richness of the West.

                          ____________________