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Show Frank A. Brewer Dragon and Jensen, Utah born: 12 August, 1885 died: 27 December, 1973 In 1904, Frank A. Brewer and his young bride left their home near Rawlins, Wyoming and moved to Utah. The following year they settled on Bitter Creek at the Balanced Rock Ranch, near eastern Utah's Book Cliffs. As they built their herd, they did a little farming and raised a family. By horseback or wagon it was quite a ride to the nearest settlement, a small, now extinct town known as Dragon, adjacent to a gilsonite mine. It was in Dragon that they bought groceries, picked up mail and for a short time sent the children to school. Winters on the ranch were long and lonely and it was sometimes hard to fill the hours when it was too dark or too cold to be outside. It was generally during these long, winter evenings that Frank would read poetry to his family. As his daughter Frances recalls, "Dad loved the 'northern' poems. He had three little, red books of Robert W Service's that he used to read at night by lamplight." Occasionally he not only read poetry but also wrote his own rhymed verse, telling of his own concerns and feelings or recalling personal experiences. Frank also enjoyed reciting poetry and his son Allan remembers that sometimes at small home gatherings his father would "recite his best poems for his best friends." In addition to poetry, Frank was also interested in cowboy songs, and through these two artistic forms he entertained his family and friends. He also 44 Cowboy Poetry From Utah |