Ross asks, "Are these new conditions better than the times that used to be?" Ross Knox recites his poem in this vintage video clip from the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV in 1985.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ross Knox
Skull Valley, AZ
Ross Knox first aspired to be a cowboy as a little boy, when he watched his father work their ranch in central Oregon. At 16, he quit school and moved to Nevada to buckaroo, where he also began writing poetry to occupy his time alone. He has worked at both the Grand Canyon and Saguaro National Parks in Arizona, packing in supplies and tools for trail and fire crews. Ross has also led pack trips in Yosemite. He is currently living a cowboy’s “retirement,” training horses and working lots of cows. Known for reciting the classics, Ross also writes original poetry from his life experiences and has more than 100 poems committed to memory. He also collaborated on an album with musician Trinity Seely, The Horse in the Middle.

Untitled poem by Ross Knox.

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Made possible by First Interstate Bank of Nevada, J.M. Capriola Co., Nevada State Council on the Arts (now Nevada Arts Council), Rangen, Inc., the Nevada Cattlemen's Association, and the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org