From the beginning, it was clear these men and women had found their tribe, an artistic community that few knew existed.
Three decades later, the tribe is now a nation of Western poets, musicians, artisans and storytellers, telling stories of hard work, heartbreak, hilarity, and what it means to make your way in the rangeland West.
Known simply as Elko to many, the gathering embraces its role as a pilgrimage destination for thousands of ranchers and Western enthusiasts to come and learn the art that grows from a connection to the rhythms of earth and sky.
[4][5] At the 25th anniversary gathering in 2009, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the keynote speaker.
The invited artist participants list is long, and has included Don Edwards, Waddie Mitchell, Joel Nelson, Wallace McRae, Riders in the Sky, Georgie Sicking, Dalton Wilcox, Ian Tyson, and Baxter Black.