Darrin Pfeifer is a traditional buckaroo, a cowboy from the Great Basin Range, which encompasses parts of California, Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon. Buckaroos distinguish themselves by their open-crowned hats with short, flat brims, their silk scarves, chinks (shorter leather chaps), high-heeled boots, dark wool vests, and white, long, button-down shirts. Their
reatas (long light ropes of hemp or leather) are rawhide and handmade; their slick-forked saddles and silver-bit bridles are pieces of art.
Back to news story >>
National Geographic Photo Gallery: African-American Cowboys >>
Click here to buy and learn more about
Gathering Remnants: A Tribute to the Working Cowboy.
Portraits of America by
National Geographic photographer William Albert Allard highlights the American cowboy.
Click here to order Allard's book.
Stunning photography of vanishing and emerging cultures, every month of the year.
Click here to get one year of National Geographic magazine and a free gift.
Photograph by Kendall Nelson; captions by Felicitas Funke-Riehle