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Show full-time as a cowboy. During this period of time, ranching on the Arizona Strip was still characterized by small family ranches that pooled their efforts for spring and fall roundups and for branding. These activities became community events as all of the men and boys would work together often throughout the night. It was in this context, while sitting around the campfire, that Owen first listened to and became familiar with cowboy poetry. After marrying, Owen left cowboying to spend a few years working for a logging company on Kaibab Mountain. But it wasn't long before he was back on the range, working for the State of Arizona as a Livestock Inspector, a job from which he recently retired after thirty years of service. Now he works with a son, one of his six children, running 1200 head of cattle for the KE Cattle Company in House Rock Valley. While Owen knows and is fond of the work of a variety of poets, he prefers the moralistic poems which direct action or explain situations. A deeply religious man, Owen often recites poetry at local funerals. He is also a frequent performer at other community gatherings where his sensitive recitations of works like Badger Clark's "A Cowboy's Prayer" are well received and appreciated by his neighbors. 66 Cowboy Poetry From Utah |