The Cowboy Up Podcast
Dude rancher Russell True and cowboy H. Alan Day team up in Tucson, Arizona to talk all things Western. They'll share adventures from the range, from the seat of a plane's cockpit, from the back of a horse. (You may wonder how they lived to tell their tales!) And they'll have a roundup of guests, Western writers, horse lovers, chuckwagon chefs, ranchers, nature lovers. It's the West now and then.
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E45S4 Trash Talk: For Cowboys, Dudes, and Everyone on Earth
05/04/2024
E45S4 Trash Talk: For Cowboys, Dudes, and Everyone on Earth
It’s estimated that we consume a credit card of plastic every week. Alarming on one hand, too easy to ignore on the other hand. But we all share the problems of garbage, no matter how we vote or where we live. How pervasive are these problems and can we do anything about them? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist says, you bet we can! The author of the new eye-opening book, “Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World,” Humes joins Russell and Alan to highlight what innovative people are doing to help our planet and what we can in our daily lives.
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E44S4 The Last Cowboys
04/27/2024
E44S4 The Last Cowboys
It’s a challenging life, cowboying and relying on the range for your living. And if you saddle up regularly in the rodeo circuit, you have one heck of a challenging and busy life. Just ask the Wright family. That's exactly what Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch did when he was assigned to write a story about them. Cowboys? Rodeos? Branch, who grew up in the West, was all in. In fact, he turned the New York Times story into a book about the Wrights called the “.” He chats with our podcast cowboys about the Wrights, the future of cowboying, and what life is like on the rodeo circuit. Branch also shares a few additional true stories from his newest bestseller, “.” Concluding this episode is Bethany Zill’s version of “Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” Bethany hails from Tucson, AZ, where she also is a videographer and documentarian.
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E43S4 The Platte River Raids
04/20/2024
E43S4 The Platte River Raids
It was 1864, and Northern Plains Indians were not pleased with settlers migrating from east to west along the Oregon, Bozeman and Overland Trails. Thus began a series of attacks and robberies on unsuspecting emigrants winding their way along the Platte River. Shots rang out and arrows whizzed as miners, doctors, farmers, families, and war widows rallied their covered wagons together. As historian journalist relates in her new book “Emigrant Tales of the Platte River Raids,” some of those involved had familiar names – Brown, Boone, Earp, Kelly, Larimer, Ringo, Rousseau and more. She joins Russell an Alan to share some of the eyewitness testimonies of nearly 70 survivors, presented in one accord for the first time in literary history. And western singer-songwriter Jim Jones shares his song “Rockin’ Chair” from his new album “.”
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E42S4 Unbridled Genetics: The Power of Equine DNA Testing
04/13/2024
E42S4 Unbridled Genetics: The Power of Equine DNA Testing
How cool would it be to build your perfect horse down to their DNA? Can it even be done? Christa Lafayette has an answer to that question. The founder and CEO of , Christa knows that breeding horses is not only an art but a science -- one that lets breeders, as well as all horse lovers, see horses in a new way. Genetic testing can identify potential health risks and prevent disease. It can optimize coat color and performance abilities. Christa joins Russell and Alan to delve into the cutting-edge genetic technologies that go beyond the standard DNA panels required by breed associations, technologies that are revolutionizing the equine industry. Thank you, Cynthia Keefe, for your musical inspiration at the end of this podcast with the song “Dreaming of Paris,” co-written with and Bonnie Hunt while rafting down the Green River in Utah.
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E41S4 Trailblazers: The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers
04/06/2024
E41S4 Trailblazers: The Story of the Buffalo Soldiers
In this episode, historian and author John Langellier saddles up to the ranch to speak with Russell and Alan about the Buffalo Soldiers, the African American soldiers who served from 1866 into the 20th century. From their origins in the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments to their invaluable contributions settling the frontier, John highlights their struggles, triumphs and enduring legacy. A few attended West Point. Others helped develop our national parks. Still others served in foreign countries. Many are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Give a listen as cowboys and historian uncover the narratives of these courageous soldiers who paved the way for diversity and equality in the United State military. And be sure to check out John Langellier's new book "."
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E40S4 Polo, Ponies, & Players: A Look at the Oldest Equestrian Sport
03/30/2024
E40S4 Polo, Ponies, & Players: A Look at the Oldest Equestrian Sport
Believe it or not, polo was first played in Persia, perhaps as early as 6 B.C. or as late as 1 A.D. Originally a training game for the king’s calvary, polo morphed into a game with four riders per side rather than 100 riders per side! The first polo game in the U.S. took place in 1876 in New York. The following year the Westchester Polo Club was formed. Now, polo is played around the country, including the Southwest. Our guests today both play the game. , a large and small veterinarian located in Scottsdale, AZ, is founder and developer of the , also located in Scottsdale with an outdoor field in Casa Grande. Steven True was on Cornell University’s polo team and now plays in Arizona. Diego and Steven speak with the cowboys about the equestrian game that is becoming increasingly popular and is played by men and women, boys and girls of all ages and riding ability. Thank you, , for sharing your musical inspiration at the end of this podcast.
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E39S4 Meet the Real Gidget!
03/23/2024
E39S4 Meet the Real Gidget!
At age 14, Kathy Zuckerman discovered the surfer culture in Malibu, CA. Soon, this wave-catching teen had earned the nickname “Gidget.” The Hollywood versions of Gidget, played by such stars as Sandra Dee, Sally Field, and Karen Valentine, were loosely based on Zuckerman’s life. But how did that happen? And what brought her to the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona years later? The real Gidget chats with Russell about how it all went down.
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E38S4 - It's all about preserving the western way of life and the great cowboy tradition. Can we tell you about the DRA?
03/16/2024
E38S4 - It's all about preserving the western way of life and the great cowboy tradition. Can we tell you about the DRA?
DRA stands for the Dude Ranch Association which not only preserves the great Dude Ranch and guest ranch businesses in this country, but also topreserve the Western tradition and the cowboy experience ... We sometimes say with a smile it may take the western way of life to preserve Western civilization! So today join the gentlemen Cowboys as they visit with Colleen Hudson as she tells us the story of the Dude Ranch Foundation and how they seek to do to help the young men and women who want to carry on both the business and tradition of this great way of life.
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E37S4 Stories of the Historic Eaton Ranch: The first ranch for dudes!
03/09/2024
E37S4 Stories of the Historic Eaton Ranch: The first ranch for dudes!
One of my friends has said that deep down almost everybody wants to be a bit of a cowboy. And there are people who are seeking what could be called an adventure, and an adventure is where you're going to do something new and you're not quite sure just what's going to happen to you. Well it is some of those brave hearts and brave souls who in the early days of the settlement of the west made it possible for those from the east to come out and have a western experience, that was new sometimes even life-changing but also safe and sound. One of those places was the historic Eaton ranch now under the big sky of Wild Wyoming! And finishing up with a lamenting song by Carol Markstrom that asks the question that sometimes plagues our spirits and souls.
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E36S4 Mystery Writers C. J. Box and Shannon Baker
03/02/2024
E36S4 Mystery Writers C. J. Box and Shannon Baker
Acclaimed New York Times award-winning author C.J. Box always delivers a mixture of suspense, the outdoors, and family relationships that are the heart of the Joe Pickett series. And so he does again in , the 24thnovel in the Joe Pickett series. In this newest page-turner, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett faces two different kinds of rampaging beasts—one animal, one human. C. J. chats with Russell and Alan about what inspired this new story about a rogue grizzly bear and an ex-prisoner. Then, Shannon Baker returns to the podcast to introduce her recently released Kate Fox mystery, , once again set in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. When a top bull breeder is mauled to death at a rodeo, Kate quickly realizes that this so-called accident hides a much darker truth. How deep is the corruption? Who will be left standing? Shannon fills Russell and Alan in on what it was like to research and write about a rodeo and what Kate Fox will be up to next. This week’s song, written and performed by , is “You Oughta See Wyoming.” C. J. Box, Shannon Baker, and Micki Fuhrman will all be featured at the Tucson Festival of Books on March 9-10 at the University of Arizona. You can learn more about them in previous episodes of the Cowboy Up Podcast.
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E35S4 The Colorful, Fraught History of Deadwood, SD
02/24/2024
E35S4 The Colorful, Fraught History of Deadwood, SD
Historian and South Dakotan may not live in the city of Deadwood, but he makes it a point to visit a several times a year. It's a town with a remarkable history. Now inhabited by just over 1,000 residents, Deadwood’s population soared to upward of 25,000 during the height of the Black Hills Gold Rush era. Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok are among some of the renown Old West characters who tread the city's muddy and crowded streets. In this episode, Markely takes a deep dive into some of Deadwood’s fascinating history, which he also writes about in his book “Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody: Plainsmen of the Legendary West” and his novel “Deadwood Dead Men.” A special thank you to western singer-songwriter for sharing his song “Eights and Aces,” a story based on the infamous Dead Man’s Hand card game.
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E34S4 From Ghost Bears to a Yellowstone Shipwreck
02/17/2024
E34S4 From Ghost Bears to a Yellowstone Shipwreck
When journalist learned that giant short-faced bears stalked North America thousands of years ago, he decided to do a deep dive into this enigmatic creature. From the La Brea Tar Pits of Los Angeles to a cornfield in Iowa, the plains of Texas, and even to the far ends of the Artic, Stark retraced the tracks of this beast that on hind legs towered more than ten feet and eventually became extinct. When Stark learned that a ferry shipwrecked in Yellowstone Lake in the winter of 1906, he went into research mode and dug into another fascinating story. Now the Creative Director at the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Mike Stark joins Russell and Alan to talk about his explorations and his books “Chasing the Ghost Bear,” “Wrecked in Yellowstone,” and his new novel “The Derelict Light.” A special thank you to western singer-songwriter for sharing his song, “The Queen is Dead," a story about a bear.
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E33S4 The Cowboy Way
02/10/2024
E33S4 The Cowboy Way
Ranches can be dangerous places. Unpredictable livestock. Complex machinery. Extreme weather. None of that deterred David McCumber from dedicating a year of his life as a ranch hand up in Montana, even though he had never worked on a ranch. Those twelve months ended up being filled with adventures, lessons and more, enough to fill a book and get it published. Now the managing editor of the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, David joins Russell and Alan to talk about the year he spent in cowboy boots and hat, a journey he relates in his memoir
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E32S4 On the Road with Ben Goldfarb
02/02/2024
E32S4 On the Road with Ben Goldfarb
You probably don’t think much about them, the roads that you take to the store or work. Or the freeway that you take on vacation across state lines or into national parks or onto a dude ranches. About 40 million miles of roads encircle the earth. We tend to take roads for granted. But is that case for all creatures? While roads certainly have benefits, they also cause problems especially for wildlife and vegetation. So much so that road ecology is now an area of study with experts who are seeking innovative solutions to mitigate and alter the havoc roads can cause. Environmental journalist traveled throughout the United States and around the world to investigate how roads have transformed our planet. He joins Russell and Alan to share some of his startling discoveries, which he relates in his new book
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E31S4 Meet Musician Greg Hager: Family Friendly and Cowboy Gentleman
01/27/2024
E31S4 Meet Musician Greg Hager: Family Friendly and Cowboy Gentleman
Without a doubt, ’s western music is getting noticed. In 2019, MFG Records in Nashville signed him. His rural western roots run deep and are wellspring for his lyrics. Hager writes and composes everything that he sings, and his style is heavily influenced by other great 12-string guitar pickers and storytellers like John Denver, Roger Whittaker, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Overstreet, Clint Black, and George Strait. Now with over ten albums to his name, he performs around the country, as well as overseas. Greg joins Alan and Russell to talk about what it's like to be a career musician.
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E30S4 Noir Westerns: Behind the Scenes with Alan K. Rode
01/20/2024
E30S4 Noir Westerns: Behind the Scenes with Alan K. Rode
When you think of film noir, you might think of “The Maltese Falcon,” starring Humphrey Bogart as the hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade. Or maybe “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Gloria Swanson as the aging, deranged silent-film star Norma Desmond. But there are also noir westerns. None is more celebrated than the 1948 "Blood on the Moon," starring Robert Mitchum. It’s a classic Western immersed in the film noir netherworld of double crosses, government corruption, shabby barrooms, gun-toting goons, and romantic betrayals. Documentarian, producer and film noir expert joins Russell and Alan to talk about the movie and his eponymous book, “Blood on the Moon.”
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E29S4 Meet Mark Sublette
01/13/2024
E29S4 Meet Mark Sublette
is the founder and owner of . A formal Naval physician, Mark is an expert in western art, specializing in the art of Maynard Dixon. He hosts the "The Art Dealer Diaries Podcast," which features over 200 interviews with unique individuals who curate, collect, create, write, sell, and deal in Western and Native art. Mark’s involvement in the arts is all-encompassing. He buys, sells, researches, educates, and has established a foundation for the arts. Mark also is the author of the Charles Bloom Murder Mystery series. The photography featured in his novels is his other love. He joins Russell and Alan for a fascinating chat.
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E28S4 Wild Horses: What’s in Their Future?
01/06/2024
E28S4 Wild Horses: What’s in Their Future?
As a horse trainer and animal communicator, has had the opportunity to work with wild horses. She also advocates for them. What does the future hold for wild horse herds across the West? Will herds continued to be gathered, dooming some horses to a life in feedlot prison? Will birth control be used to limit the growth of herds? Will there be enough forage for herds roaming drought-stricken lands? Does the Safe Act really protect horses? Anna answers these questions and more!
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E27S4 Stories to Ring in the New Year!
12/31/2023
E27S4 Stories to Ring in the New Year!
“Out with the old, in with the new.” Or so the saying goes. But sometimes “the old” is the best, especially when it comes to stories. Russell, Alan and Lynn reflect on the past year and the wonderful guests who we were honored to interview on the podcast. We also celebrate the life of Alan’s sister and one of our national treasures, Sandra Day O’Connor. And as you’ll hear, sometimes one reflection leads to another and then another and before you know it, cowboy storytelling is in full swing!
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E26S4 Wait, You Mean Gene Autry Didn’t Write “Here Comes Santa Claus?”
12/22/2023
E26S4 Wait, You Mean Gene Autry Didn’t Write “Here Comes Santa Claus?”
No, he didn’t! He sang it. Ginia Desmond knows the real story behind this beloved holiday song. She was there in sunny California when the idea hatched and the words were written. Ginia went on to write screenplays and produce movies and a whole lot more. Her award-winning indie film, “,” is a charming coming-of-age story set in Arizona. (Available on Apple TV) And she has more films in the production chute. Ginia joins Russell and Alan for a fun, inspiring chat.
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E25S4 America’s Signature Dishes: Tasty Culinary Treasures
12/16/2023
E25S4 America’s Signature Dishes: Tasty Culinary Treasures
America’s signature dishes can be found coast to coast. Crab Louie. French-fried onions. Pecan pie. You can practically taste them. Maybe you’ve even made them. But what most of us don’t know is the history behind these epicurean delights. Culinary historian Sherry Monahan decided to investigate signature recipes, from breakfast and breads, to soups and salads, to sides and main dishes, and desserts, particularly those served at hotels and restaurants. Where did they come from? Why do they remain so popular? She answers these questions in her new book She joins the podcast to give us the inside scoop on how some of our country’s most famed dishes originated.
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E24S4 The Last Warriors: Fact, Fiction and Truth
12/09/2023
E24S4 The Last Warriors: Fact, Fiction and Truth
One of ’s favorite quotes is by the American novelist Oakley Hall. “The pursuit of truth, not facts is the business of fiction,” said Hall. Farmer keeps these words in mind while penning his award-winning stories and histories, many of them about the Apaches, including Geronimo and a Mescalero Apache named Yellow Boy. Farmer speaks with Russell and Alan about his historical research about the Apaches, as well as about events like the Fountain murder trial. When included in stories, details gleaned from research transport readers to different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and eras.
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E23S4 Remembering Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-2023)
12/02/2023
E23S4 Remembering Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-2023)
In April 2022, Russell and Alan spoke with Scott O’Connor, Sandra Day O’Connor’s eldest son, about his mother, a woman who broke barriers, was a role model for many, and left giant footprints across our nation. Scott shared many stories about family life, including what he remembers when his mom stepped into the national spotlight. We wanted to share this wonderful conversation again as our country mourns and reveres one of its greatest leaders and influencers, The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor.
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E22S4 When Dreams Meet Reality on the Open, Remote Range
11/25/2023
E22S4 When Dreams Meet Reality on the Open, Remote Range
grew up in the “real” northern California—the forgotten area at the tip-top of the state with small towns, extreme poverty, and about 40 miles to the Oregonian mountains. In a childhood defined by a subdivision, she decided she wanted to be a cowboy, and two years out of college, she saw that dream through, taking a job at a Nevada ranch in the search f of horses, cattle, and the wide-open range. And that’s where she fell in love. But when a baby-to-be suddenly spun her wild romance into a very practical marriage, and one decrepit ranch trailer home led to the next, Jolyn found her young family desperately seeking stability in a transient lifestyle that moves with the seasons. First with one child to care for, then eventually with three, Jolyn fought profound loneliness, finding comfort in writing and company in her camera. The author of the new memoir Jolyn joins Russell and Alan to talk about it all!
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E21S4 Horse Whispering & Animal Communicating with Anna Twinney
11/18/2023
E21S4 Horse Whispering & Animal Communicating with Anna Twinney
Anna Twinney never expected to make a career out of horse whispering, animal communicating, and energy healing. After all, she was a police officer in England specializing in trauma. But then as a way to deal with burnout, she found herself in California working with Monty Roberts and learning the art of horse training and horse whispering. Anna went on to create the , a hands-on approach to understanding the mind of the horse and building a trust-based partnership. She now conducts clinics and workshops worldwide, from New Zealand to Mongolia, Europe to Canada and throughout the United States. She shares some amazing stories with Russell and Alan about horses, domesticated and wild, but also dogs, and even two elephants at a zoo. (You can check out her event schedule .)
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E20S4 From “Home Improvement” to Dude Ranch Roundup: Meet Debbe Dunning
11/11/2023
E20S4 From “Home Improvement” to Dude Ranch Roundup: Meet Debbe Dunning
is a multi-talented actress, host, and lifestyle influencer. She rose to fame as Heidi Keppert the "Tool Time Girl" on the hit sitcom "Home Improvement," where she won over audiences. She recently hosted her own TV show "" on RFDTV. In addition to her acting career, Debbe is also a DIY expert, exceptional golfer and a passionate advocate for healthy living and motherhood. She shares her love for home renovation, healthy cooking, and wellness tips with her fans on , inspiring others to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. In this episode, Debbe shares her story with Russell and Alan.
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E19S4 Dude or Die!
11/03/2023
E19S4 Dude or Die!
Dude ranch historian and expert decided to set her first novel,” Dudes Rush In,” on a dude ranch. The second book in the series, “,” has just been published, and guess where it takes place? You bet, on a dude ranch! Not only does her story include cowboys and some cool trick riding, the novel also introduces a character who represents a story of the American West not often told—that of an American with Japanese heritage who endured forced internment during WWII. Lynn joins Russell and Alan to talk about her book, as well as her summer visit to the in Montana where she worked in the final draft of “Dude or Die.”
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E18S4 Navajo Code Talkers & More
10/29/2023
E18S4 Navajo Code Talkers & More
Gallup, New Mexico, located in the northwest corner of the state, abuts the Navajo Nation. During his more than four decades of living in the area, Bob Rosebrough befriended many Navajos. While he was mayor of Gallup, he was introduced to a group of . These men, recruited by the U.S. Marine Corps., used their traditional language to transmit secret messages to Allies fighting in the Pacific during World War II. The men who Rosebrough met were awarded Congressional Silver Medals. Rosebrough writes about his experience in his award-winning book
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E17S4 When Windfalls and Riches Await
10/20/2023
E17S4 When Windfalls and Riches Await
At first, knew only one thing about her great-Grandmother, Anna: she was a homesteader on the North Dakota prairies in the early 1900s before her husband committed her to an asylum under mysterious circumstances. As Erika’s mother was dying, she revealed more. Their family still owned the mineral rights to Anna’s land—and oil companies were interested in the black gold beneath the prairies. Their family, Erika learned, could get rich thanks to the legacy of a woman nearly lost to history. Thus, began Erika’s journey into the past. She joins Russell and Alan to share her discoveries, which she also relates in her memoir, “.”
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E16S4 Bringing Back Water, Soil and Life
10/13/2023
E16S4 Bringing Back Water, Soil and Life
In the 1980’s, when moved from the East Coast to a cattle ranch in the Chiricahua Mountains, she fell in love with the area. But she was dismayed at how overgrazed the grasslands were. While observing running water during a forceful monsoon rain, she noticed soil accumulate behind a small rock dam. She began building rock dams, called trincheras, in eroded areas. Her efforts eventually caught the attention of Arizona State University researchers who began to collaborate with her. In 2018, Valer founded the nonprofit , a 121,000-acre protected, restored, and rewilded area that is once again home to jaguar, ocelot, black bears, beavers and a host of other threatened and endangered species. Valer, along with CLO’s president , speaks with Russell and Alan about her work and Cuenca Los Ojo’s current projects and future endeavors.
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