Speaker: Angel Vigil

Location: Norfolk Public Library, Room A

Why is there the rodeo? Why are there cowboys? Why are there horses in America? Where did the word cowboy come from? Where did the Stetson cowboy hat come from? Why was there John Wayne, Roy Rodgers, Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy? Why were there TV shows like Gunsmoke, the Lone Ranger, and The Cisco Kid? Why is there MacDonalds. Why are there hamburgers” Why is the Denver football team called the Broncos? Where did the words lasso, lariat, rodeo, wrangler, and stampede come from? Find out the answers to all these questions and many more in this fascinating presentation about the origins of American cowboy, ranch and rodeo culture.

This talk presents the origins and development of cowboy culture in the American West. Tracing cowboy culture’s roots from the open plains of Spain to the establishment of ranching culture in the New World, the talk describes the role of the Spanish/Mexican vaquero in the establishment of traditional cowboy and ranching practices in the American west. The show places the historical and fictional lore of the origins of the American cowboy in the historical context of the vaquero, the true first cowboy.

Angel Vigil is Retired Chairman of the Fine and Performing Arts Department and Director of Drama at Colorado Academy in Denver. He is an award-winning author, performer, stage director and teacher. Angel is the author of six award-winning books on Hispanic and Western culture and arts and is a Colorado Heritage Artist storyteller who has performed throughout the nation at festivals, universities, schools and art centers. His specialty is the oral traditions of the Hispanic Southwest and he is also a member of the Colorado Endowment for the Humanities Chautauqua program for his historical presentations of 5 different figures.