The absolute best place to find a real buckaroo is at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, held the last week of January at the Elko Convention Center.  Started in 1985, the gathering has grown from an informal get-together for a few dozen cowboys to an international event that now attract thousands. 

Strange as it sounds, cowboys have a long tradition of writing and reciting poetry.  Generally, these poems — really stories in rhyme — were shared around a campfire after a hard day on the range.  As with cowboy music, cowboy poetry developed as a result of the long hours that cowboys spent alone.  To pass time, many would concoct songs and poems about their lives, their philosophy, or their experiences.  Wry humor and unabashed sentimentalism were common in their verse.  So were exaggerations and outright lies.   
The gathering started when western folklife expert Hal Cannon heard of buckaroos in various places around the West who recited poetry.  Cannon decided to see just how widespread this unique western art form was.
  
He helped organize the first gathering and found it was not only a popular form of self-expression for cowboys, but one that the public found extremely entertaining.  Since then, attendance at the gatherings has grown from 600 to 8,000 people, and there’s no evidence of waning popularity. 

Cannon’s organization also purchased the historic Pioneer Hotel in downtown Elko and transformed it into a permanent showcase for the folk arts known as the Western Folklife Center.  Buckaroo skills, such as silversmithing, leathercrafts and horsehair braiding, are featured, together with Native American and urban folk art.

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is a series of poetry and music workshops during the day, followed by evening performances featuring the best and most unique poets and musicians.  There are also usually displays of cowboy arts, such as saddle-making, and photography exhibits.  The evening performances, which are often sold out months in advance, often feature more well-known poets, such as Baxter Black, Waddie Mitchell and Don Edwards, as well as notable musicians.  For more information, visit www.westernfolklife.org.

Compliments of the Nevada Commission on Tourism
Commission on Tourism State Photo Gallery