FOLK COLLECTION 11: The Skaggs Foundation Cowboy Poetry Collection
Folk Coll 11 is Utah State University's cowboy poetry collection. The collection, originally created
by a generation donation by the L. J. and Mary Skaggs Foundation, includes books gathered
during a fieldwork project in the early 1980s to document cowboy poetry in the U.S. west (see Folk
Coll 11f). From this important fieldwork project came the impetus for the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering held in
January 1985 in Elko, Nevada. Since that time, each January, the Fife Folklore Archives staff take the collection
and Access database (that details each book, poem, author, first line and key words), to the National Cowboy Poetry
Gathering for offsite use. Through University purchases and generation donations from poets and collectors, this collection continues to grow.
Book Title
Composer
Call #
Pages
Author
Poem Title
First Lines
Keywords
Rhymes o' a Driftin' Cowboy
FC 11 H-01
84
Chuck Haas
My Pard
He died today! My pard...a noble friend!
horse
Lyrics of the Lariat
FC 11 G-10
20
Nathan Kirk Griggs
The Waters to the Hosts
As laughing brooklet goes to join the noble stream.
God, Lord, belief, stream, river, water
New Tradition: Western Verse: A Collection of Poems
FC 11 G-20
110
Dennis Gaines
Nasty Jack and Ol' Nuthin'
Lord, I dearly love life in the saddle!
The Cowboy Nerd and Other Favorites
FC 11 L-29
10
Clay "Thumbstack" Lindley
Translation Please
"Howdy, howdy Miss Hombre.
The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses
FC 11 P-16
215
Banjo Paterson
Santa Claus in the Bush
Outdoors, Faith, Fun and Other Poems
FC 11 B-02
3
Elliott S. Barker
Boy With A Willow Pole
A barefooted boy with a willow pole; Goes scampering out to his fishing hole, A clear, swirling pool in a mountain brook; Where red-bellied trout often take his hook.
trout, youth, childhood, growing up, spanking
Cow Camp Poetry: How it was writ, a lot of truth, and a little B.S.
FC 11 W-35
37
Jack Williams
Hard times
Five cent beef, and there ain't no rain, the woman's pregnant, and full of pain
A Cowful of Cowboy Poetry
FC 11 B-43
22
Baxter Black
Duffy (Ol' Duffy)
Ol' Duff slept in the bunkhouse in the corner by the wall.
From a Cowboy's Point of View
FC 11 H-52
96
Dick Hays
The Kneeling Nun
The Kneeling Nun is watchin' With her eyes so cold and hard, While we're takin' out the copper That she was left to guard. The blasts that we put off,
Rhymes o' a Driftin' Cowboy
FC 11 H-01
190
Chuck Haas
Fer Me
I aim t' quit this eastern range.
east, west, Boston, Arizona
High Country Ballads
FC 11 N-06
43
Howard L. Norskog
The Waterfall
You see this here cabin behind me
New Tradition: Western Verse: A Collection of Poems
FC 11 G-20
25
Dennis Gaines
Second Thoughts
Just one loop, that's all you'll get, you've waited for this chance.
"Originals"
FC 11 S-16
35
J.D. Santee
Forever
Forever is upon us, you and I,
Cowboy Poetry: Horse Tracks Through The Sage
FC 11 H-47
62
Sunny Hancock
E.I.S
Environmentalists, you call yourselves, but do you have the right? Are you the Earth's custodians or some parasitic blight? It sounded good when your cry rang. Clean water and fresh air. We're gonna clean this planet up for people everywhere!
Songs of the Saddlemen
FC 11 B-06
81
S. Omar Barker
Ranch House Night
An ol' cow bawlin' down the draw.
comfort, home, cozy, sound, night, purr, peace, contentedness
Poems from the Alamo Saloon
FOLK COLL 11 L-45
106
Paul Thomas Lillard
New Glasses
Now that I have my brand-new glasses, I can tell the horses from the asses.
humor, horses, asses
Where Prairie Flowers Bloom And Other Poems
FC 11 H-33
56
Yvonne Hollenbeck
The Christmas Quilt
The first time that I saw it I was pro'bly five years old.
star, sew, sin, blocks, Japanese, harbor, sacrifices
Texas Poems By A Texan
FC 11 S-62
56
D.A. Stewart
Sun and Cloud
The sun rose clear in the east one morn The world in splendor to adorn, To shine upon the sparkling dew And make the world again seem new, To make each heavy heart feel light, To drive away the gloom of night. A cloud rose down the southern way And drifted in the sun's bright ray.
Sagebrush, Saddles and Spurs
FC 11 T-19
11
Hamilton Teichert
Spring Time
It's always a thrill When you know it's turned spring.
Night Herding Song
FC 11 H-10
41
Gerald Hausman
Burls
Maple burls like rounded knots of rope.
trees
Dry Crik Review (Double Environmental Issue): fall/winter 1992/93, 2 copies
John C. Dofflemyer
FC 11 D-20
32
Kell Roberton
These Waters Fouled and Bitter
Stinking of chemicals and garbage flow sluggishly through dead hard packed earth, so soaked with oil nothing could grow here.
Write 'Em Roughshod; Life 'N Such Like
FC 11 G-36
14
Peggy Godfrey
Amy
We spoke of our children Of boys, of girls Next to me sat Paul Whose daughter was killed. An accident with Tragic aftermath Left folks stunned By her untimely death.
Stubby Pencil Poems of Rural Livin' Doin's
FC 11 G-41
45
G.B. Griffith
Pesky Red Ants
Part custom, part instinct I'd just have to guess. Their inquisitive nature or an equine rule.
bites, pain, relief
Bell Ranch Glimpses
FC 11 E-01
52
Martha Downer Ellis
The Perra Corrals
The Perra corrals -- three sets of them.
corral, watering hole, materials, fencing, building techniques, mechanization, progress
Rhymes of a Homesteader
FC 11 L-08
29
Elliott C. Lincoln
Ethics
When I'm out with the bunch, in town, I'm jest as tough as I can be.