[5] The Western adventures of famous figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, a neighbor of the Eatons in the 1880s, were made available to paying guests from cities of the East, called "dudes" in the West.
By 1913, it was noted that ranchers had begun to dress as cowboys, and had introduced pageantry, such as an afternoon cattle round-up, to add to the assumed glamour of Western life.
In 1926, the Dude Ranchers Association was founded in Billings, Montana, to represent the needs of this rapidly growing industry.
Advertisements during that era were often aimed at the monied classes, and stressed the beauty of the natural scenery, the healthiness of being outdoors, and the wildlife.
During the Great Depression the industry continued to expand, likely as an alternative income source for real cattle ranches which were experiencing financial troubles.
By the 1960s, especially in Arizona and California, the industry became more professional, with dude ranches becoming more like country clubs, with elegant rooms and diverse recreational amenities such as tennis courts, golf, and heated swimming pools, catering to some 200 guests at a time.
Some of the activities offered at guest ranches include horseback riding, target shooting, cattle sorting, hayrides, campfire sing-alongs, hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, zip-lining, archery and fishing.
Common jobs offered to students include housekeeping, wrangling, staffing dining rooms and offices, or babysitting.
A number of working ranches have survived lean financial times by taking in paying guests for part of the year.
The introduction of non-native species on ranches is more controversial because of concerns that these "exotics" may escape and become feral, modify the natural environment, or spread previously unknown diseases.
[citation needed] Advocates of hunting ranches argue in turn that they help protect native herds from over-hunting, provide important income for locals and nature conservation, and that the stocking of exotic species actually increases their numbers and may help save them from extinction.