Day of the Cowboy: Arizona Congresswoman Giffords works to make cowboys’ day national

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Arizona Range News
By Carol Broeder

The National Day of the Cowboy resolution was introduced earlier this month in both the House and the Senate, thanks to Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

“I am elated and extremely gratified to report to you that on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008, a milestone was reached in the National Day of the Cowboy campaign when the National Day of the Cowboy resolution was introduced in both the House and the Senate simultaneously,” said Executive Director Bethany Braley from national headquarters in Willcox.

“This impressive achievement is the result of the combined efforts of Wyoming’s Sen. Mike Enzi and Arizona’s Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. They successfully coordinated their resolution efforts in order to maximize the impact of its introduction in Congress,” Braley said.

The 2008 resolution numbers are for the House, H.RES.984 and for the Senate, Resolution S.RES.450. The bills can be viewed online at www.thomas.gov.

“Senator Enzi and Congresswoman Giffords now urgently need our participation in order to keep this momentum going,” Braley said last Thursday.

“I ask that each of you take a moment tomorrow to call or e-mail your senators and representatives. Tell them you want them to support these two important resolutions either by co-sponsoring them or by making a commitment to vote for them.”

“Giffords will need your help the most because she has to garner a higher number of supporters, and also because this will be the first time the resolution may actually come up for a vote in the House,” she added.

Sen. Craig Thomas of Wyoming originally sponsored the resolution in the United States Senate in 2005, 2006, and 2007. After Thomas died last June, Sen. Mike Enzi took it over, committing to sponsor the 2008 Cowboy Day resolution in the Senate.

Once the Cowboy Day’s national headquarters moved to Willcox in December, Giffords agreed to sponsor the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“You all know this is the furthest we’ve ever come in our shared request for a permanent day of celebration and recognition for the cowboy and our precious western heritage, so I urge you to get involved now and help us push this forward successfully,” Braley said last Thursday.

“This resolution declares Congress’ support for officially designating a day to honor working cowboys and cowgirls and their ongoing contributions to their communities,” she added.

“Please help us protect this unique and important element of our culture by insisting that those who represent you do their part to work for the preservation of this heritage for future generations.”

Braley is also issuing a plea to supporters across America to lobby governors for Cowboy Heritage Month.

“Now it’s time to put our state plan in action, too,” Braley said Thursday. “We need someone from every state to ask their respective governors to proclaim July as your state’s Cowboy Heritage Month.”

Braley is sharing the text she used in the proposed Arizona resolution “to give you an idea of how to approach this.”

“The idea is to list some cowboy and cowgirl information about your state, whether current or historical, and also include the fact that communities in your state celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy in July,” she said.

“If you want to create the request for your state, please send me an email with your name, state, and phone number,” Braley said.

“I’ll put that in a spreadsheet so we can keep track of which states are being taken care of and also so you can coordinate efforts if you like.”

Since Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble provided some of the information found in Arizona’s version, Braley encourages others to seek out their own state historians, whom she calls “a good resource to supplement what details you gather from the ranch associations, etc.”

For her part, Braley sent a request lastThursday morning asking Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to proclaim July as Arizona Cowboy Heritage Month.

The proposed resolution reads:

“Whereas, Arizona’s rugged mountains, steep canyons, cactus, dry deserts and wild cattle have produced some of the finest cowboys in the world…”

“Whereas Willcox, Arizona, was once the cattle shipping capital of the world and… Holbrook, Arizona’s Hashknife Pony Express is the oldest officially sanctioned Pony Express in the world;”

“Whereas, the Cowbelles, a nationwide organization created to foster good will and friendship among cattlemen and cattlewomen, was originally founded in Douglas, Arizona, and…the National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters are located in Arizona.”

“Whereas, Scottsdale, Arizona, has always called itself ‘the West’s most western town’, and…the World’s Oldest Continuous Rodeo still takes place in Payson, Arizona, and… Rex Allen, the last of the silver screen’s singing cowboys, was born and raised in Willcox, Arizona;”

“Whereas, Ash Fork, Arizona, was the busiest cattle shipping point on the Santa Fe Railroad between Kansas City and Los Angeles during the 20th century, and…Tombstone, Arizona, the “Town Too Tough to Die,” did more to popularize the cowboy in the movies than any other town in the West, and…during the first half of the 20th century, the Tovrea stockyards in Phoenix, Arizona, boasted the world’s largest feed lot;”

“Whereas, Wickenburg, Arizona, was once known as the ‘Dude Ranch Capital of the World,’ and…Father Kino is known as the Old West’s “Original Cowboy” because he herded cattle into southern Arizona from Sonora in the 1690s;”

“Whereas the cowboy and cowgirl continue to play a significant role in Arizona’s economy through their excellent stewardship of both the land and animals on Arizona’s many ranches, and…the National Day of the Cowboy is celebrated in numerous Arizona communities each July, now, therefore, I, Janet Napolitano, do hereby proclaim July as Arizona Cowboy Heritage Month.”

For further information, contact Bethany Braley at (520) 766-6362 or via e-mail at

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