Bruce Kiskaddon (1878–1950) has been called the quintessential

cowboy poet Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry that grew from a tradition of cowboys telling stories. Authorship Contrary to common belief, cowboy poetry does not actually have to be written by cowboys, though adherents would claim that authors should have so ...

of the 20th century and is widely considered to be the cowboy

poet laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. His poems were widely published in calendars and books throughout his lifetime. In the mid-1980s, the birth of the cowboy poetry renaissance renewed interest in his work.Reynolds, William C. "At the Edge of the Spotlight." ''Cowboys & Indians'' July 2007: 100-101. Bruce Harvey Kiskaddon was born in 1878 in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He started his cowboy life in 1898 working in the Picket Wire district of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Kiskaddon worked for ten years as a cowboy. He frequently amused his fellow cowboys by writing parodies of songs and putting into rhyme the happenings around the ranch and on the trail.Coggin At the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Kiskaddon joined the Army and served honorably in France with the cavalry. He remained overseas, spending time in the ranches of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

as a jackaroo. When he returned to the United States, he found employment with Tap Duncan, a well-known and successful cattle rancher.Reynolds Kiskaddon entertained his fellow cowboys with his creative rewriting of popular songs. In 1922, with the encouragement of his employer, he wrote western poems about what life was really like in the west. With Duncan's encouragement, Kiskaddon began writing poetry that was both popular with cowboys and the general reading public. In 1924, he published his first book of poetry. In 1926, Kiskaddon left the cowboy life behind for a career in films. He traveled to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

to audition for a job as an extra in the movie '' Ben-Hur''. He stayed in Hollywood the rest of his life, working as an extra and taking bit parts in

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

. He supported himself mainly working as a

bellhop A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (carrier), porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while check-in, checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat), like certain other Page (a ...

in Hollywood hotels. He included several of his poems relating to hotel life in his book ''Just As Is'' published in 1928. For years, Kiskaddon's poetry appeared in calendars from the Los Angeles Union Stock Yards. He continued to write and consolidate his poetry and reminisces of life on the range in the ''

Western Livestock Journal The ''Western Livestock Journal'' is a weekly livestock industry newspaper. Originally called the ''Farm and Ranch Market Journal'', it was started by Nelson R. Crow in 1922 and is published by Crow Publications. History The ''Farm and Ranch Ma ...

''. He published collections of his poetry in 1928, 1935, and 1947. The Los Angeles Union Stockyards continued to publish his poems and illustrations in calendars through 1959. Bruce Kiskaddon died in 1950. Today, he is remembered and admired by Cowboy Poetry enthusiasts for his authenticity and skill at invoking life in the west as it once was.

References

External links

Cowboy Poetry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiskaddon, Bruce 1878 births 1950 deaths Cowboy poets Cowboys