The DRA Will Celebrate the 85th Annual Convention

The Dude Ranchers' Association will celebrate the 85th Annual DRA Convention in 2011.  The Convention is being held in Tucson, Arizona at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, January 19th - 23rd, 2011.  The Associations' ranch members, Associate members and many great vendors attend this event..the largest attended DRA Event of the Year.

The Association's original membership of thirty-five ranches from the Yellowstone area has now grown to 100 +member ranches in 12 western states and two Canadian provinces. In spite of this growth, the Association today remains dedicated to preserving the beauty, natural resources, and the original western ranch experiences that attracted the first visitors. Within this context, the Association has produced industry standards, a common means for promoting dude ranch vacations, and a single source for the exchange of ideas and information.

True to its roots, The Dude Ranchers' Association is still a diverse group, composed of cattle ranches who accept paying guests and mountain top lodges that offer a ranch atmosphere. All preserve the open warmth and hospitality of the first ranches and allow for the original western ranch experience by requiring an extended stay. The formation of lasting bonds and memories still brings families back to ranches generation after generation. This is truly a living testimony to the timelessness of the values and standards of the original dude ranchers. Today, as it did over a century ago, the western dude ranch experience offers relief for both the body and spirit of those seeking refuge from the pressures and routine of modern life.  A Dude Ranch Vacation is....the Original Western Vacation!

The 85th Annual Convention Highlights:

• 3 Day Convention with 2 Day Vendor Show
• Build lasting relationships with all DRA Members!
• Seminars
• Round-Table Discussions 
• Marketing Tips & Trends
• State of the Association 
• Ranch To Ranch Discussion
• Casino Night with Coaches for Charity
• The White Stallion Team Penning Calcutta and Competition
• Horse Safety Courses on Wednesday & Sunday
• The Infamous Pigeon Rolling
• More Entertainment
• 20+ Vendors
• Food, Family, Friends & FUN!
• Annual Educational Trust Banquet & Auction

For more information please contact the DRA office at info@duderanch.org or 866-399-2339!

Dude Ranch Vacations Offer A Taste Of The Old West

I found this good article about Dude Ranches on the Travel & Leisure - Article Fabric blog...Articles from all over the world on Travel and Leisure weaved into one site!  Here is a few paragraghs...

Dude ranch vacations were born in the late 1800's, but they really began to become popular in the post-World War I years. Society became more mobile, thanks to the automobile, and economically, the times were good. The movies were a popular form of entertainment, and westerns were dominant in films, creating a desire among large numbers of people to visit the Wild West. The only problem was that the west had been tamed.


And so was born a new American tourist attraction--the dude ranch. For a few days, tenderfoots could become cowboys, but without the perils true cowboys had faced. In a structured environment, dudes could learn to ride and roam the wide open spaces under the protective eye of a guide.

Virtually every state west of the Mississippi has at least one dude ranch. While no two are identical in the activities offered, they all share one thing--a lot of time will be spent on horseback. Novice riders will be given lessons, an appropriate mount will be provided, and a cowboy is born. Ranch hands will lead the dudes on trail rides of varying lengths, and many ranches offer the opportunity to spend two or three days riding the range and sleeping in the open. READ MORE...

63 Ranch Celebrates 80 years of Dude Ranching!

The 63 Ranch, a dude and cattle ranch located in southwest Montana, will be celebrating their 80th season this summer 2010. The 63, still owned and operated by its original founding family, was the first dude ranch in Montana to be declared a National Historic Site and is not far from where the Dude Ranchers' Association was first organized in Bozeman, MT on September of 1926. Although not an official member of the association until 1936, the ranch ranks as one of the oldest member ranches still in operation today.


For over three-quarters of a century, the Christensen family has been in the business of creating memories that last a lifetime! Paul, Elmer and Johanna welcomed their first guests; three young men from Chicago, in 1930. Not unusual for the time, these first guests spent the entire summer at 63 before returning to Chicago to share their unforgettable experiences with others. The fact that relatively little has changed over the years continues to be the most popular topic of discussion among historical guests who return with the intention of sharing their own most memorable childhood experiences with younger generations. "It has always been about preserving the romance of the old west." adds Sandra Christensen.

In celebrating their significant milestone, The 63 Ranch is offering unique peak season vacation packages including 15% discounts for the weeks of July 4-11, 18-25 and August 8-15 with no added gratuities or service charges. Book the week of August 15-22 and one child 10 years or under stays for free! For availability, please contact: 63 Ranch at 1-888-395-5151, Vacations@63Ranch.com or visit http://www.sixtythree.com/

The Vee Bar Guest Ranch located in Wyoming. Experience True Western Hospitality.

Live the American Dream Vacation at the West’s Best Dude Ranches

At the more than 100 dude ranches that make up The Dude Ranchers’ Association, guests are sure to find the All-American Western vacation they have been dreaming of—days spent in the saddle, enjoying stunning scenery and breathing fresh country air, and evenings enjoying tasty down-home cooking and ranch entertainment. Today, as it did over a century ago, the western dude ranch experience offers relief for both the body and spirit of those seeking refuge from the pressures and routine of modern life.

Dude ranch vacations are based on a lifestyle that stretches back more than a century. By the end of the 1800s, most of the American West had been explored and the stories of its natural wonders had spread throughout the Eastern portion of the country as well as Europe. Lured by the promise of awesome beauty, a spirit of romance and adventure, and the honest simplicity of the western way of life, travelers headed west in search of a respite from the crowded, noisy squalor of fast-paced cities.

Most dude ranch guests are looking for that same experience today—a chance to rejuvenate their souls and refresh their spirits. And with the impressive array of activities found at these dude ranches, everyone—Mom, Dad, kids, grandparents, couples or singles—can find something that interests them.

Dude ranches are ideal places for kids and families to re-discover each other. Without the typical distractions of TV, phones, computers and electronic games, families spend time together, riding, hiking, playing games or simply talking. And while dude ranches are a popular destination for families, couples, singles and groups of all types love this unique traveling option as well. Most ranches offer a wide variety of activities such as horseback riding, fly fishing, river rafting, swimming pools, children’s programs, cattle drives, cookouts, line dancing and plain relaxing on the porch swing, so everyone in a group is sure to find something that appeals to them. And since the cooking, cleaning and planning is all taken care of, everyone enjoys a true vacation.

Since 1926 The Dude Ranchers' Association has been helping folks find quality ranch vacations by establishing and enforcing high standards for its members. Dude ranches applying for membership go through a rigorous two-year inspection and approval process, including a close review of their application, a review of references from former guests, an appearance before the board of directors and on-site inspections during actual dude ranch operations. Typically, only 70% of the ranches that apply meet the high standards of the Association. When guests book a vacation at a Dude Ranchers' Association member ranch, they can be assured that it is actually a ranch and not just a hotel with horses.

The Dude Ranchers’ Association's original membership of 35 ranches from the Yellowstone area has now grown to 100-plus member ranches in 13 western states and 2 Canadian provinces. In spite of this growth, the Association today remains dedicated to preserving the beauty, natural resources, and the original western ranch experiences that attracted the first visitors.

Now is the time to take advantage of shoulder-season discounts. For more information about the unique experience of a dude ranch vacation or to request a brochure, call 1-866-399-2339 or visit www.duderanch.org.

New Release of "The Bar BC Chronicle"

“Conversations in building a real western experience”

An oral history of the Bar BC Ranch Jackson Hole Wyoming

By Renee Howard Smelker

To Purchase a copy please contact Casey Morton  (307) 733-0466 or email
amorton@bresnan.net

Here is the Book's Forward...

Against the stunning backdrop of the Teton Range, the story of dude ranching in Jackson Hole unfolds. Dudes came from outside the West and sought to hire accommodations, horses, and guiding and hunting services from local ranchers. Early visitors were often attracted to this remote country through Hollywood westerns, dime novels, and advertisements by railroads that fostered a sense of romance about this part of America. They visited the West seeking adventure, their notion of the Wild West, and a glimpse of that romantic American hero, the cowboy.

In Jackson Hole, dude ranching began in early years of the twentieth century. One of the most famous and beloved dude ranches was the Bar BC. It was founded in 1912 by Struthers Burt and Dr. Horace Carncross, both easterners and pioneers in the dude business. The location of the Bar BC was ideal. It was near the Snake River which provided water and excellent fishing. It was nestled below a bench beneath the Grand Teton which provided privacy for the ranch but rewarded its dudes with spectacular views of the Teton Range. Untouched lands and wild animals surrounded the ranch.

Burt and Carncross ran a successful and popular dude ranch. The Bar BC offered its guests an informal lifestyle and a family atmosphere. Dress was casual. Dudes favored horseback-riding, pack trips, hunting, and fishing. They enjoyed dances and dude rodeos. By the late 1920s, the heyday of dude ranching, the Bar BC was the best known dude ranch in Jackson Hole.

The later years of the Bar BC were directed by Irving Corse and Bill Howard. In 1937, Burt sold his interest in the Bar BC to then partner Irv Corse in order to devote himself to writing. Corse had come to the ranch as a truck driver in the early 1920s, and eventually became the foreman and then a partner in the ranch. Howard began work as a wrangler at the Bar BC in 1922 and became the foreman seven years later.

Letters between Irving Corse and Bill Howard tell the story of the Bar BC in the years after Burt and Dr. Carncross operated the ranch, spanning the time from 1929, after Carncross’ death, to 1942, when Howard left the ranch. They were compiled by Bill Howard’s daughter, Renee Howard Smelker, who spent most of her youth at the Bar BC Ranch where both of her parents worked for about 20 years. Smelker’s notes, drawn from her memory, supplement the letters and provide local color.

Interestingly the letters provide a glimpse into the operations side of a dude ranch rather than the fun and romance of the dude’s life. Through the years of correspondence chronicled in the book, a picture of the routines and concerns of maintaining a dude ranch, which also ran a cattle operation on the side, becomes clear. A sense of the challenges of work in the isolated and harsh environment of Jackson Hole and in a changing economy emerges, as does a feel for life in the valley and the importance of neighbors and friends. The tale is all the more compelling because it is told by the people who lived it.

The Bar BC Ranch holds a special place in the hearts of many who have lived in or visited Jackson Hole. Because of the work of Struthers Burt, the ranch is one of the most historically significant dude ranches in the valley. Unfortunately it lies in ruins today. Through the correspondence presented in this work, the later history of the ranch is captured in print, providing an engaging story for those wanting a taste of Jackson Hole’s past.

Lokey Lytjen
Executive Director
Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum