Author traces the long and storied history of the American dude ranch

From Zane Grey to "City Slickers," dude ranches have been a trope in Western lore for a long time.

You go out West and learn how to ride a horse or rope cattle. It’s the kind of transformative experience that’s fed novels, TV shows and movies for more than a century.

The Show spoke with Lynn Downey, an archivist, historian and author of the book "American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West." In it, she traces the long and storied history of the dude ranch, America’s original western vacation. 

University of Oklahoma Press, Lynn Downey

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