The Cowboy Up Podcast

Like any hospitality business, dude ranching can be full of surprises. Tombstone Monument Ranch manager Michelle DeSplinter reveals some of the challenges, laughs and joys she's encountered during her years working at a dude ranch. Let's just say you can't always predict what the day will bring!

If you'd like to hear Russell and Alan's full conversation with Burt Devere, give a listen here. Born and raised in Tombstone, AZ, Burt has lived a fascinating life. He pursued a degree in engineering, worked in mining, traveled the world, and even owned a dude ranch. 

Russell and Alan continue exploring the history of Tombstone, AZ, this time with special guest Burt Devere, whose great-grandfather settled in the area in the late 1800s. Burt shares some fascinating stories from then and now. (What would you do if you witnessed a train robbery?)

This year, we celebrate the 17th annual National Day of the Cowboy. Last year, we interviewed founder Bethany Braley, who is dedicated to preserving cowboy culture and heritage. Here's the special reprise of our interview with her. Hats off to you, Bethany!

Russell and Alan continue exploring Tombstone, Arizona, where they chat with longtime resident Steve Goldstein, owner of Big Nose Kate's Saloon . If you spend enough time in the town, you'll most likely meet Goldstein, otherwise known as "Mr. Tombstone."  So how did a guy from the Bronx find his way to this best-of-the-West setting? Bet you'll never guess!  

Actor and playwright Craig Hensley knows the West, old and new. Born and raised in Arizona, he was headed toward a career as a forest ranger when he heard the call of  "show biz." Hensley has accumulated acting credits in film, television and theater from New York to Los Angeles and numerous locales in between. He also wrote and starred in the stage production, "Wyatt: Last Words." Hensley speaks...

Many of us have heard about the Pony Express, founded in 1860. But did you know this "start-up" mail delivery service only operated for 18 months? Expert Jim DeFelice , author of " West Like Lightning ," joins Russell and Alan to sort through the fact and fiction associated with the legendary Pony Express. [True or False: Buffalo Bill Cody rode for the Pony Express. Listen for the answer!]

No cowboy is without a saddlebag or two of horse stories. And Russell and Alan are no exception. Joining in with his own share of tales about horses ridden and loved and wrecks survived is lifelong cowboy Mac Mackenny, who hails from Calgary in Alberta, Canada. If you want to hear some wild, western adventures that not even the best fiction writer could concoct, then give a listen, right here, rig...

You may know bestselling author Michael Punke from his blockbuster novel "The Revenant," also an Academy award-winning film starring Leo DiCaprio. Well, Punke has picked up pen again and this time turned out " Ridgeline ," a riveting story set in 1866 Wyoming. He joins Russell and Alan to talk about the true events and characters behind this new novel already optioned for the silver screen.

Carolyn Neithammer has been writing ethnobotanies, cookbooks, and biographies about the Southwest for her entire career. Her most recent book, " A Desert Feast ," explores how Tucson came to be honored as the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the U.S.. Caroline, Russell and Alan dig into the culinary heritage of the Sonoran Desert—and just what parts of the prickly pear cactus are edible.

Artist Thom Ross has had a lifelong love of American history, storytelling and painting. Not surprisingly, his art focuses on the "folk hero," like Billy the Kid, rather than on the mythical "folk hero," like Paul Bunyan. Thom chats with Russell and Alan from Due West, his studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

When he was sixteen years old, Mark Paul snuck into the Santa Ana racetrack and was smitten. Over decades, Paul traveled the world attending horse races and placing bets. But no bet was bigger and more dangerous than the one placed in Tijuana on the Derby. Paul joins Russell and Alan to share his Seabiscuit meets Narcos adventure.

The West endures in the archives of museums and libraries. It also endures in novels and movies. Historian Stuart Rosebrook chats with Alan and Russell about some of the great writers and film makers, as well as the real characters and events, that inform us about the West then and now.  

They ride horses, rope calves, buck broncos, ride and fight bulls, and even wrestle steers. They are Black cowboys, and the legacies of their pursuits intersect with those of America's struggle for racial equality, human rights, and social justice. Journalist and author Keith Ryan Cartwright joins Russell and Alan to talk about his timely and fascinating upcoming book " Black Cowboys of Rodeo: Uns...

May is National Pet Month! And don't we love our pets. Russell and Alan share some of their favorite pet stories with guests at White Stallion Dude Ranch. A little hawk named Sylvester. Two javelinas named Sandra and Ann. And dogs, horses, and more. If you love animals (or just some great stories) join in!

And even if you are a cowboy poet yourself you will find this conversation with Stan Hustad, producer of The Cowboy UP Podcast and Rod Miller, noted western writer, poet, and storyteller to be something that will make you smile, perhaps stir your mind a bit, move your spirit and something will probably touch your heart. This is the last day of national poetry month and this is a wonderful day to t...

Doris Daley is a renowned cowboy poet, emcee and humorist—or as she prefers, a "western poet." Her 20-year performance career includes appearances with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Saskatchewan Opera Company. Doris joins Russell and Alan from Alberta, Canada to share her wordsmithing and love of the West. It's a cowboy celebration of National Poetry Mo...

Sometimes nothing lifts the heart and soul like a good western tune. Jim Jones has plenty of them—and plenty have won prestigious awards. He joins Russell and Alan to talk about his career as a solo musician and a member of the trio The Cowboy Way and as an author of western novels . He even has his guitar within reach. Give a listen!

Director and producer David Glossberg never anticipated making a documentary about wild mustangs and military vets. But when he learned about the high suicide rate of veterans and how wild mustangs have been helping that rate decrease, he felt called to action. The result: Mustang Saviors , an award-winning film that, as you'll discover in this episode, will lift your spirit and renew your hope.

Mark Bedor returns to the ranch to talk all things western. Mark is the host and director of the TV show, "Today's Wild West," a half-hour magazine show that combines his experience as a television news anchor and reporter with his love of the West. Winner of a 2021 Western Heritage Award, "Today's Wild West" airs on over 70 PBS channels.

Arizona author Nancy E. Turner started college when her children were full-grown. After earning a triple major in creative writing, music and studio art from the University of Arizona, Turner went on to become a bestselling author of many novels. She joins Russell and Alan to talk about her new novel "Light Changes Everything," which Publisher's Weekly describes as a "satisfying, immersive, and of...

In honor of Women's History Month, award-winning author and historian Jan Cleere joins Russell and Alan to discuss her new book Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier . Most of these women journeyed from the East and knew little of the hardships and challenges waiting in the Arizona Territory. But these brave, bold women persevered and left a legacy that en...

Sarah Maslin Nir , a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and New York Times reporter, fell in with horses by age two. But growing up in New York City meant horses weren't readily accessible. Maslin Nir speaks with Russell and Alan about how she managed to seek out horses throughout her life and how those equine relationships sustained and healed her, a journey she relates in her new memoir Horse Cra...

What happens when three cowboys get together? Well, the stories start to flow, especially when all three were raised on Arizona ranches, are horse lovers to the core, and have written books about their adventures. So refill that coffee and settle in for an entertaining and enlightening conversation between Russell, Alan and their guest Randall Dale .

Anna Twinney communicates with horses on a daily basis. The founder and owner of the Reach Out to Horses® program , Twinney takes horsemanship to a new level using body language, energy work, animal communication and other healing modalities. She joins Russell and Alan to share her experiences and insights gleaned while working with horses and horse lovers from around the world.