100 YEARS OF DUDE RANCHING
CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE DUDE RANCHERS’ ASSOCIATION
In celebration of the upcoming centennial of the Dude Ranchers’ Association, the DRA, Ranch Preservation Foundation and the Dude Ranch Foundation are collaborating on a book project to commemorate the 100th anniversary. The photo-driven, coffee table-style book is titled 100 Years of Dude Ranching: Celebrating the Centennial of the Dude Ranchers’ Association.
DUDE RANCHES — THE WEST’S FIRST DESTINATION VACATION
Dude ranching found its official start in 1926, when a group of ranchers decided to create a governing organization for the industry that had begun to blossom in the late 1800s. The first dude ranches found their guests longing to extend their stays and happy to pay in exchange, as they explored and adventured in the American West.
In celebration of the centennial of the Dude Ranchers’ Association, this book explores modern and historic dude ranching at 26 ranches that were at the forefront of the industry, hosting dudes and giving them a taste of the West by 1926.
With photographs by award-winning photographer Scott T. Baxter, this book explores modern dude ranching at these historic ranches as captured over the course of a year; paired with historic information to see how each ranch has changed over a century. A history of the DRA and dude ranching written by historian Lynn Downey chronicles the story of dude ranches — the West’s first destination vacation.
“Since the late 1800s, dude ranching has tantalized people across the U.S. and around the world. A horse, saddle, boots and hat, and acres upon acres of wild, Western land. There’s a mystique to this cowboy life that many want to experience. I can’t think of a better start to that experience than 100 Years of Dude Ranching, a book filled with awe-inspiring photos and a mystique all its own.”
— H. Alan Day, lifelong cowboy, retired rancher and author of Lazy B and The Horse Lover
PHOTOGRAPHER: SCOTT T. BAXTER
HISTORY BY: LYNN DOWNEY
FOREWORD BY BOB BOZE BELL
MSRP: $79.95
PUBLICATION DATE: December 2025
ISBN: 979-8-9998445-0-7
DETAILS: Hardcover, 12x9”, 200 pages
CATEGORY: Photography, History, Non-Fiction