Cowboys & Indians October 2022

Enter C&I’s Photo Contest It’s time again to collect your greatest photos from both daily life and bucket-list travel adventures in the American West. C&I’s annual photo contest is now open for entries. Visit cowboysindians.com/photocontest for entry info and more details. Winners will have the opportunity to get their photographs published in a 2023 issue of Cowboys & Indians magazine. We want to see the West through your lenses — enter today! Extra! Extra! Are you subscribed to our weekly newsletter, The Post? Receive the best news of the West in your inbox every Wednesday. Click the red “Newsletter” button at cowboysindians.com to sign up. @cowb oysindians @cowboysindiansmagazine PHOTOGRAPHY: DREAMY MORNING RUN BY ANGIE PRECURE, PECHANGA POW WOW GRAND ENTRANCE DANCERS BY DARYL WEISSER…

DARCY DOUGLAS The West is iconic. It’s often romanticized in films and books; however, growing up in Montana, I never had to think about what it means because I didn’t know any different. It wasn’t until I left for college in South Carolina that I really understood how unique and special the West is. The West is a culture, a lifestyle that is more than just throwing on a cowboy hat and boots. It’s fierce independence and an indomitable spirit, a people who cherish their heritage with unsurpassed pride. STEPHANIE CROWCHILD In our Tsuu t’ina language “Ts’idiga” means the direction west, pointing toward the mountain range along which our people traveled as a means of survival. The Western lifestyle and culture resemble my personal style as a designer. I incorporate my ancestors’ traditional…

I like to refer to this issue’s fashion feature as our “Western Style Spectacular.” The 2022 fall preview (“Western Splendor,” page 102) is bold, expansive, and teeming with natural beauty. Cowboys & Indians’ resourceful fashion team joined forces with the creative minds from the magazine’s parent company, Teton Ridge, for a multiday photo shoot capturing a wide array of exciting trends and timeless traditions. It all went down with veteran photographer Chris Douglas behind the lens at the TR9 Ranch in Weatherford, Texas. With Western style enjoying its greatest worldwide renaissance in a long time (ever heard of the “yeehaw agenda”?), it was important not to focus only on a single overarching theme. We couldn’t ignore the idea of “modern ranch luxe” — apparel and accessories that elevate Western style for nights…

We asked readers in the July issue to share their favorite TV westerns, and submissions ranged from childhood favorites to modern-day dramas. Here are a few highlights from our inbox. Gunsmoke just cannot be beat! There are no better characters than Matt, Kitty, Doc, Chester, and Festus. Marshal Dillon back-slapping anyone is always the best, and one best hope he does not take off his badge! Kitty’s independence and eyeliner! I have enjoyed all the Gunsmoke episodes over the years with the many guest stars! Love it! — T.L. Haynes Maine My top western was Laramie starring Robert Fuller and John Smith. The dynamic between the two characters of Slim and Jess was awesome! They dealt with topics way ahead of their time, and even when there was conflict between them, they showed…

A GORGEOUS ARRAY OF BOLDER AND BRIGHTER COLORS CAN LIVEN UP ANY WESTERN LOOK.…

Jewelry designer Shannon “Mud” Lowery can’t quite remember how he got his nickname—probably from being covered in it while playing college rugby. How he ended up an in-demand jewelry designer is a little happenstance, too, but once he found his way to the Western industry, the lifestyle stuck and his designs took off. Whether you’re a celebrity (several of Lowery’s clients are), an urbanite, or a rancher, chances are you’ll find a perfect Mud Lowery piece for your collection. His designs, he says, are “something you can wear to the NFR or wear to church. It’s not too traditional in terms of Western or Native American. You can wear it with your Tiffany & Co. bracelet and your grandma’s hand-me-down squash blossom.” His background perfectly positioned Lowery at the crossroads of traditional…