Arizona is often thought of as part of the Old West and cowboy lore. The land of gunfights at the OK Corral ( Tombstone), Billy the Kid, Geronimo, Apache braves and cattle drives across miles of desert to trailheads and markets in the east.
The era of the cowboy was actually short-lived - from the end of the Civil War and lasting only 10 or 15 years before rail lines were built and mechanization took over.
The Rockin' R Ranch has been a working ranch for several generations. Today, the property has been swallowed up by the city of Mesa but the Robson family still maintains some of the property but now runs a cowboy dinner show in some of the original buildings. We went to the Ranch with Dan and Barb Bloem and Gerry and Dia TerHaar on Monday evening, March 14.
Real cowboy vittles were served up first - smoke beef BBQ, cowboy beans, potato, and biscuits served on a tin plate and coffee in tin cups. Then we were entertained by the Robson family of fiddlers, drums and singers. Sweet Mary played the saw and a Pima Indian did a wonderful hoop dance for us. It was a great evening!