“Cowboy Church”

We recently started watching the series ‘Yellowstone’. I had avoided it because I found Kevin Costner’s gravely voice affectation annoying.
My beautiful bride cajoled me into watching the prequels 1883, and 1923 first. Now we are on the second season of ‘Yellowstone’.
The reason I’ve added this preamble to the following story that I’ve related before, is that it takes place in ‘Paradise Valley’. The local town is Emigrant MT. The location of the Dutton ranch in the ‘Yellowstone’ series. In fact, we went to a ‘Rocky Mountain Oyster’ festival at the saloon in ‘Downtown’ Emigrant MT.
The ‘Cowboy Church’ we attended was held at ‘Cowboy Mike’s’ Ranch.
His ranch house consisted of a barn, with an Apartment where the hayloft would be located. Unfortunately, it was all destroyed a year later in the bad floods from the Yellowstone River.

We were invited to ‘Cowboy Church’ during one of our first visits to Montana.
‘Cowboy Church’ involves the eponymous Cowboy(s), hymns, several amateur musicians (in our case two guitars, a standing bass, and an accordion), whisky (lots of whisky) and a campfire.
I of course decided to wear my cowboy hat, a Stetson ‘Carson’ in black.
Unbeknownst to me, the sure sign of a ‘Dude’ or in current parlance a ‘Poser’ is a snakeskin hat band, which I have. Normally it’s a store bought rattlesnake skin hat band.

My lovely bride and I were amongst the group, having a marvelous time, signing, and taking sips from the bottle of whisky as it was passed around. When a group of 3 cowboys approached me to have a little fun at my expense.
“Nice hat.” One said giving me the once over
“Why thank you!” I replied
“Uh-hem” another started
“What kind of a…Rattlesnake is that? I don’t believe I’ve seen one like that, where’d you buy it?”
I replied “I didn’t buy it, I made it.”
I received a look of surprise, I then continued “It’s not from a rattlesnake, it’s from a genuine 4ft Virginia Copperhead. I killed it, skinned it, and tanned it myself.
I was able to make 2 hatbands out of it, and gave the other to my brother.”
They were duly impressed, so much so, I was offered the first sip from the new bottle of whisky.
Once they figured out that ‘The Dude’, my little truck, parked nearby, belonged to me, I was no longer, ‘Just a Dude’.

Pictures:
1. My lady and I at Cowboy Church
2. With Col. Phil and his wife Sandy attending Cowboy Church
3. The fire ring at Cowboy Mike’s
4. The Old Saloon, est 1902. Emigrant MT