Windows into the West began with questions. One of my earliest questions was why Western artists paint hollyhocks. It sounds like a simple question, but it led to many more. When did certain flowers become associated with the West? What did they mean to the people who planted, wore and decorated with them? Which photographers, artists, advertisers and craftspeople carried those flowers into the imagery of the West? I am not interested in using flowers simply because they ar

This Saturday, I wound my way down from the north to Pendleton. I’d never traveled that way before, and the road took me through old ranches and miles of wheat fields. What I saw more than anything was a lot of hard work. I couldn’t help but think about the people who took those same roads into Pendleton more than a hundred years ago, coming to town to show off what they could do. I went straight to the rodeo grounds and the Pendleton Round-Up & Happy Canyon Hall of Fame Muse

I’ve talked quite a bit about Windows into the West, but I haven’t officially introduced where I’m starting. The first chapter will explore early rodeo and Wild West shows. I chose this period because it gives me a strong place to begin. Cowboys and horses, competition, performers, saddles and silver, photographers, artists, craftsmen, famous names and people whose stories have nearly disappeared all intersect here. I’m also starting here because rodeo is already part of the