DEADWOOD -- Horse lovers and history buffs throughout Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota have a chance this summer to participate in a historic ride to retrace the old Miles City to Deadwood Trail. Much of the 200-mile trail remains open and true-to-life as it was in the days of Luther “Yellowstone” Kelly and Calamity Jane.

Colleen O'Connor with the Denver Post interviewed a bunch of Colorado ranchers and wrote the story below about the sale and purchase of cattle brands—and the imperilled state of the family ranch. There are 32,609 registered brands in Colorado, and 4,000 were canceled on July 1 for no payment. To raise funds, some ranchers are selling their brands!

Hey, ya'll. This is HUGE! The U.S. Senate in late June approved a resolution cosponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman to honor the American Cowboy.

The resolution, which declares July 24, 2010 as "National Day of the American Cowboy," will give the state an opportunity to recognize the enduring legacy of Western culture.

Ever feel like owning a 60,000-acre cattle ranch in central Montana’s Snowy Mountains? Well, cough up $45 million and it's yours! The N Bar Ranch (www.nbarmontana.com), about 90 miles north of Billings, went on the market this week and, boy-oh-boy, what a spread...

Since the launch of Iron Horse Jeans (www.ironhorsejeans.com) in September of 2009, the company has been sponsoring numerous rodeo events, Arabian horse shows, trade shows and will now be a force in NASCAR. The company just announced announced today they are the primary sponsor on Tayler Malsam’s #10 Nationwide Series car owned by Braun Racing.

About once a month, I get a letter from an inmate somewhere in the U.S. correctional system. Guys behind bars (who spend most of their time indoors) seem to like American Cowboy for the stories and photos of people living freely outdoors in the Great American West. I think they also have a lot of time to kill and are wanting in pen pals ...