Museums 101: Buckaroos (Photo Diary)

The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, has a gallery which takes visitors on a journey through some of the most dramatic periods in the High Desert. According to the Museum display:

“Thousands of years ago, more than one hundred Native American tribes inhabited the High Desert. During the early 1800s, newcomers began arriving—starting with fur traders and continuing with homesteaders through the early 1900s. A diverse array of immigrants added their stories to the region’s history.”

One of the dioramas in this gallery tells the story of the Hispanic heritage of the range. According to the Museum display:

“The first ranches across the High Desert were established by California cattlemen. They employed vaqueros whose style of riding and working cattle began in Spanish colonial California. Proud of their finely trained horses and skill at roping, they brought their way of life to the High Desert. Over time, the region’s ranches adopted their traditions, and the term vaquero evolved into buckaroo, today’s distinctive High Desert cowboys.”