Bill McGee and Flying M.E. guest taking a beer break on a trail ride, 1948 (Author Collection)
Don your Western wear and watch a classic Western movie
Owen Wister is said to have created the first romantic cowboy in 1902 with his best-selling novel The Virginian. The hero, known simply as “the Virginian”, was brave and honorable, tough but soft-spoken.
The Virginian was portrayed on the big screen in 1929 by Gary Cooper, in 1946 by Joel McCrea, and from 1962 to 1971 by James Drury in a television series of the same name.