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The soul of the West lingers, even in Minnesota |
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By John Freivalds
Published 12/5/2025
Duluth News Tribune
In 1865, journalist Horace Greeley wrote, ”Go West, Young Man,” as that was where the opportunities were. They’re still there, but the reality of the Old West is mostly gone.
California, our most western state, is now all about algorithms and vegan diets. But vestiges of the Old West can be found in places like Wyoming, which calls itself “the Cowboy State” and has a license plate to celebrate it. Then, of course, we have places like Winner, South Dakota, and Amarillo, Texas.
Minnesota does not have such a national image. We make do with a rough and tumbling one, as we have Paul Bunyan wielding a huge axe, leading Babe the Blue Ox around in the woods. But the Old West is still with us here in the Gopher State, too, in the clothes we wear, the media we watch, the foods we eat, the words and phrases we use, the names of the pickups we drive, and the songs we enjoy.
Wearing cowboy boots has become fashionable again. Here’s what major western-wear chains say about their clothing lines: ”Just Country serves the avid outdoorsman and thrill-seeker, from hunters and anglers to those who run on pure adrenaline and grit.” And, “Wonderwest caters to fashion enthusiasts who are drawn to the fusion of women’s mainstream and western-inspired pieces.”
Old campfire songs like “Home on the Range” have been replaced by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles singing “Seven Spanish Angels.” And heroes who never get their clothes dirty, like The Lone Ranger, have given way to tough guys like Clint Eastwood and deadly soap operas like “Yellowstone.” American Indians are no longer portrayed as savages who never wear shirts but as humans who have done no wrong but hunt buffalo. And beef is part of almost everyone’s diet. It comes from feedlots in the High Plains.
Where did I learn all this? Years ago, the world’s largest cattle feeder, Paul Engler, paid me to ghost-write his autobiography, “Feathers Are My Enemy.” He fed 1 million head a year, and at one point, he said, he sullied all the beef to Walmart from packing houses in the Texas panhandle. His beef also ended up in steakhouses throughout the U.S., including the Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo, which offered a 72-ounce steak. Yikes! That’s six pounds! If you ate it all, including the fixings, it was free. A number of steakhouses in Minnesota look like the Big Texan but don’t offer the mammoth-steak deal.
I consider Engler America’s last cowboy. He became a national figure in 2008 when he sued talk-show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey for defaming beef on her show. He lost the suit.
Cowboy lingo was already famous, with words and phrases like “dude,” “branding,” “eat crow,” “howdy.” and “savvy.” Of course, “cowboy” is used to describe a rough-and-tumble person not given to following orders. My favorite is describing someone who always exaggerates as “all hat and no cattle.”
Then we have all the pickups, cars, and SUVs whose names follow a western theme: Ranger, Sierra, Mustang, Bronco, Viper, and Ram are only some. It wouldn’t work to name a truck Albany, Coon Rapids, Cambridge, or Pittsburgh.
While writing his book about the cowboy West, Paul Engler warned me, “Don’t squat with your spurs on.” This was just another way of saying, “Don't do something without thinking; it's dumb and could bite you in the hind end, all for the want of a slight consideration of your circumstances.
John Freivalds of Orono, Minnesota, is a commodities broker, the author of six books, the retired honorary consul of Latvia in Minnesota, and a regular contributor to the News Tribune Opinion page. His website is jfamarkets.com.