Rodeo attendees cheered wildly as the Cheyenne Frontier Days' rodeo committee presented their newly acquired National Day of the Cowboy flag to the fans for their approval. Representatives of the 2,500 rodeo volunteers presented their new flag to the crowd as well.
The National Day of the Cowboy deserves its own unique national symbol
A flag at its most basic level is nothing more than a bit of material usually waved or flown for some purpose. Once you begin adding color, designs, emblems, or logos to that piece of material, you have a work of art with the potential to become a symbol. Often it does become a symbol when it is created and used to embody something specific, such as an ideal, an ideology, an organization, a geographic entity, an event, a signal, a country, or a nation.
Think about car racing, rodeo parades, sailing, boy scouts, advertising, countries, football games, astronauts, the Olympics, explorers, armies, rodeo sponsors, states, provinces, political parties, a courtroom, Macy's Thanksgiving parade, the World Series, or the Pledge of Allegiance. What do all of these things have in common? Flags.
The origin of flags dates back to around 1000 BC, when the Egyptians used primitive versions of flags for identification or to signal others. Later in history, explorers used flags to signify a new presence in uncharted lands. Although flags are still used for these reasons today, they have come to be used for much more.
Flags of today often embody an ideal. For example, when many of us think of the Battle of Iwo Jima, we immediately picture its most memorable image, that of the marines raising the American flag. When we remember America's 1971 moon landing, we envision David Scott planting the Stars & Stripes on lunar soil. When we recall the conquering of Mount Everest, we think about the flag used to signify that achievement.
When we reflect on images such as these, we realize what powerful emotional symbols flags can be, and we become even more aware of a flag's ability to evoke strong reactions in us, such as tears, anger, pride, joy, or renewed commitment.
For all of these reasons and more, we at the National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters believe the heritage that is honored by the National Day of the Cowboy deserves its own flag; its own unique national symbol.
The 2005 declaration of a National Day of the Cowboy by the United States Senate provides an opportunity for us to fly a flag with the potential to signify to the world that there exists a single unified group of people, who actively support the preservation of America's Western heritage. Imagine how it would feel to see the National Day of the Cowboy flag flying high at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Western Heritage Museum, the Little Britches Headquarters, the Working Ranch Cowboys Association, a Cowboys of Color rodeo, a Cowboy poetry gathering, or the Cowgirl Hall of Fame? Can you visualize a mounted Cowboy charging into the arena at the National Finals Rodeo with the National Day of the Cowboy flag unfurled as his banner?
The presence of a standard flag at all of our Western festivals and Cowboy poetry gatherings would send a specific visual message to the world regarding our heartfelt commitment to the preservation of our Western heritage. This flag could earn a place of honor as the overriding external symbol of our love for the myth and magic of our Cowboy lore; a cherished symbol of devotion to our Cowboy culture.
Consider the fact that every rodeo parade and grand entry includes the flag of numerous sponsors and organizations, along with state flags and the Stars & Stripes. A National Day of the Cowboy flag would add a prestigious element to that display. A National Day of the Cowboy flag would symbolically link individual elements of that culture as well as provide a common bond for individual enthusiasts.
We believe that displaying the National Day of the Cowboy flag will help build community, but only prominence and proliferation can build stature and recognition. United States Senator, Craig Thomas, took the first step toward building this stature when he presented the National Day of the Cowboy flag to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Committee on July 23, 2005 in Wyoming. His wife, Susan, then presented a second flag to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Volunteer Committee. The National Day of the Cowboy flag is now proudly flown in Montana at the Wild West Festival and in Wyoming on the Bozeman Trail. It also flies in Tucson, Arizona, and soon will be carried around the world with a group of Western performers.
This is an impressive beginning, but one of our goals at the National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters is to be able to report to you before July 22, 2006, the second annual National Day of the Cowboy, that the red, white, and blue of the National Day of the Cowboy flag is indeed flying in every state in the union. We will continue to work to encourage its adoption as a unifying symbol of the professional and the amateur, the sponsor and the participant; all who preserve, all who cherish, and all who enjoy America's Western heritage.
Yes, at its most basic level, a flag is a just apiece of cloth. But when the National Day of the Cowboy flag is displayed in a way that consistently honors our Western heritage, it holds the potential to become a national symbol that embodies our love for America's Cowboy culture.
Bethany Braley, October 2005©
*To purchase the National Day of the Cowboy flag for your event or organization, go to
National Day of the Cowboy
