Perspectives on cowgirls, humor and images of the American West

Abstract

In the summers of 1992 and 1994, I collected oral narratives from cowgirls or horsewomen living in Winthrop, Washington, a Western theme town. Winthrop is located in the northeast corner of Washington State in the North Cascade Mountains in the Methow Valley. In tourist brochures, this area is often referred to as “the American Alps”. I was looking for work-related humorous stories from women who made their livings primarily working with horses. These women worked physically as hard as any cowboy I met in addition to maintaining their traditional domestic roles as wives and mothers.