TV Worth Watching! A full episode of Todays Wild West!

Coming up on Today's Wild West, we'll take you to the Mexican border and saddle up Arizona's historic Rancho de la Osa. Plus, this is a traditional crow piece. You'll meet Montana's award-winning Native American artist, Birdie Reilberg. And we'll take you to the home of America's first cowboy movie star, California's Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival. It's all next on Today's Wild West. The Wild West, it's still out there. We'll show you how to find it. This is Today's Wild West. If walls could talk, what a story these would tell. What's known as the Presimiento Ruins was once a trading post and a community back in the 1800s. Today, it's a fascinating ghost town in a remote canyon in extreme southern Arizona, not far from the Mexican border. Look how low this door was. Steps away is another wall that could tell even more ancient tales. A rock wall covered with mysterious petroglyphs created by those who lived here eons ago. Messages that can never be understood. Those are old. Old, old, old. How old do you suppose this is, 1820s? Probably. It's all part of an exciting UTV adventure in the Arizona wilderness. There was a community here at one time. During his day at the Rancho de la Osa Guest Ranch, one of the most historic properties in the American West. The adobe buildings of this historic desert oasis include what is believed to be the oldest continuously occupied structure in Arizona. What's now the Ranch Cantina was originally part of a mission outpost built by Jesuit priests sometime between 1718 and 1725. So I mean, think of that. This is 40 or more years before the Declaration of Independence. So for Arizona, that's really, really old. Other buildings on the Rancho were constructed in the 1800s of adobe walls three feet thick to ward off the arrows of Apache raiders. During that century, Osa became the headquarters of a vast cattle ranch. In 1889, its owners built a splendid and grand hacienda that dominates ranch headquarters, whose layout reminds you of an old-time presidio or a military fort. And on rare occasions in the past, Osa has been just that. Residents of nearby Sassabee fled to the ranch when Pancho Villa's men attacked the tiny border town in 1916 during the Mexican Revolution. Pancho Villa raided the ranch and came across the border, attacked, and two cannonballs have been pried out of the adobe walls left after that attack. Hard to imagine that kind of chaos today at a place so inviting and peaceful, you'll want to stop and listen to the quiet. The buildings that form a square around the central courtyard come alive with color and the warm glow of the early morning sun. It's a moment you'll want to absorb and savor before heading out for a morning horseback ride in the desert. Rancho de la Osa became a dude ranch in the 1920s and a favorite escape of some very famous people, including actors John Wayne and Tom Mix, writers Zane Gray and Margaret Mitchell, and political stars like First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, future President Lyndon Johnson, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. So you add the Hollywood, the Spanish, the Indian, the political history, I just don't know where you'd find a place that combined that. These walls could talk. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. And you feel it. Rancho de la Osa is just a short trail ride from the tall fence that marks an isolated stretch of the Mexican border. While the ranch is only 90 minutes from Tucson, it feels much more remote. It's wonderful on the late afternoon to ride the quiet, picturesque trails of the beautiful Sonoran Desert. There is a rich sense of peace in this place that is free of the noise and stress of the modern world. I really searched my mind, why did all these people come here? And I think maybe it was completely away and they had that sense of isolation and seclusion and yet they weren't that far from an airport or a city. And I think, you know, when I'm here I feel like it's probably not very different than when Lyndon Johnson was here or Adelaide Stevenson or John Wayne. And so we're probably experiencing the same things, coming here for the same reasons. This place is magical. There's something really spiritual, magical, whatever word you want to use. Michelle Bond brought a group of women to Osa for a yoga retreat. It's out in the middle of nowhere. It's quiet. If you can't disconnect and find peace here, you're probably not gonna find it. It is wonderful to just chill, but there's too much to do to sit still for long. So we're up to the border? We are. One of the main attractions is that nearby border. Just a short UTV ride away. Actually, because of the political interest today, the borders, lucky for us, turned into an attraction. And one of the first things people want to do is they want to go get on a horse or get on a UTV and go see it. There's a 14-mile fence along the border that ends right here at the beginning of the Papago Indian Reservation. The tribe won't allow the government to continue that fence on their land. And so there's a well-worn path from Mexico to America. Horseback rides to the border are another favorite as well. And along the way, you can stop off at the general store in the tiny border town of Sassabee. Back at the ranch, you can enjoy the beautiful pool, take a bike ride. Bingo! Or go plinking with a 22. We're gonna get your husband to run and kind of bob and weave a little. Under the expert guidance of cowboy Ross Knox. If you pull the trigger again, there's nothing gonna happen because you haven't worked the bolt. Fun stuff. Ross Knox left home at 16 and has been a working cowboy ever since at ranches across the West. My whole deal, of course, is collection. He spent years leading mule trains up and down the Grand Canyon and today helps his wife, Lenny, run the ranch horse program. Well, she's the real deal. And, you know, we have a very authentic ranch and we wanted to have authentic people. Ross has been up and down the Grand Canyon more miles than any human in history. And Len's been doing this her whole life. And they compete at world champion levels. Ross is a multi-world champion packer and Len competes at very high levels in Super Horse and these other things. And Ross is the same. So they just exude authenticity and you just meet them, you know, you're talking a real, real deal. I would like to help the guests that come here become better horsemen. Ross is happy to share his own expert horsemanship. What I'm looking for right now is the corner of that eye, just an eyelash. When I can see that, I've got that eyelash right there. Now I'm gonna start it around the outside leg. See, I'm not doing anything with my hands. Nothing. I've got both hands on the saddle. Giving us a demonstration on an aptly named quarter horse, right quick-like. And I'm gonna bring my hand back to center. See, I'm not doing anything. And when I stop, I just open my legs up. And see, if I keep my legs opened up, she's gonna start backing up. Is that what you're after? Tell me what you're after. That's exactly what she's asking me. I relax my legs, she stops, I'll move her forward, I'll open those legs up, she stops. I keep them opened up, she's gonna start backing up. And that's cool. Yeah. Because it's communication. Watching Ross work with his partner reminds me of how little I really know about horses. But that's okay. Whether you're a pro or have never been in a saddle, Rancho de la Ocea has a horse that's just right for you. And one of the ways you do that is you have different types of rides, different lengths of rides, different speeds of rides. And we do that here. Good job. You know, so we'll go out for a nice scenic walk or we'll go out and do some cantering or loping, whichever word you use. We do some cattle work so we can accommodate the beginner, the intermediate, and the advanced. Get them out, see some beautiful country, do some fun stuff. When the day's ride is done, we gather for dinner in a grand dining room warmed by a fireplace and adorned with wonderful posters of a bygone era. And topping off the end of a great day is retiring to your splendid room, rich in color and history. As is the rest of this property. Lots of places to kick back with a good book or a glass of wine, just like so many others have done before. Yes, if these walls could talk, they'd have some stories to tell. But then so will you when you go home and tell your friends all about Rancho de la Ocea and make plans to return. Coming up, great cowboy music and so much more. California's biggest cowboy festival. Next, Crow Indian artist Bertie Real Bird. This is the headpiece. It's called the key. You're looking at the amazing work of award winning Native American artist Bertie Real Bird. See this martingale? Usually it's made out of wool, but mine is out of buckskin and then I wrapped it or the edging around the wool. The Crow Indian woman made virtually every piece of the traditional regalia that blankets your fine horse. Yeah, you hang your bags from the old time saddle and the old time saddles handmade. This is a called a wedding blanket and it's a beaded alkyd. You've got bags here, bags that are decorated with beads. It's the sword scabbard. Her incredible work and the finery of her fellow travel members is on display every August during the colorful parade at Crow Fair, perhaps the biggest Native American powwow in the country. Here on the Crow Indian reservation in southeast Montana, hundreds of horseback Crow bring out their best beaded regalia for both horse and rider in celebration of their tribe's rich cultural heritage. Like I say, there's a lot of good beaders in Crow. But none better than Bertie, honored by the Montana Arts Council with induction into its Circle of American Masters in recognition of her artistic excellence and contribution to the state's cultural heritage. You can be an artist and preserve your culture that way and I'm using beads to preserve my culture. Beading is a major part of every piece she makes. In fact, it's been a central part of her life since she was a young girl growing up on the reservation. My mother was a beader. All the ladies in my life were beaders. Mom encouraged Bertie's interest by giving her a traditional beading necklace when she was just 12, which she still wears today. In my bead work, I do a lot of this navy blue, white navy blue. Grandmother was another major influence, but the desire to learn was all her own. I wanted to do it. Nobody said, okay, I'm going to show you how to bead and you're going to be a beader. Nobody said that to me, just looking at things and observing. And everything that I do, I've watched my mother make. These are plastic. I have four real ones and then they go. She made this elk tooth dress for the grandmother when she was just 18 and still uses the small measuring tool her grandmother made. And see how it, the next row comes on, comes about an inch and a half. As the teeth goes, it flows like that and that's what it's supposed to do. And then it's decorated with a row of rows of lazy stitch that you call this a lazy stitch. This comes from the time before beads came and quill work was kind of similar to this, how they lay it down. Back in the days, they said, if your husband's a good hunter, your dress, your teeth goes all the way down to the bottom of your dress. A beaded belt that goes with a buckskin elk tooth dress is among her recent creations, a piece richly accented with fine beadwork. Amazing. It's not about being patient. Beading is intricate, time-consuming, detailed work. Stitching together tiny beads on buckskin might appear to be tedious, but for Birdie, it's a labor of love. I love to make things. It's not boring to me. It's not tedious. It's not about patience. It's about making it, feeling that feeling I have. It's almost like therapy for me. And your work kind of has a spirit to it. And your designs start coming out and I can't wait. Sometimes I can't wait to see the design so I might bead all night. Much of her work is inspired by her Crow ancestors. Birdie spent much time over the years studying Crow Indian collections at museums around the country, like the Peabody in Boston. It was intriguing to be, you know, looking at the Crow beadwork and all these leather belts were there. Today, Birdie belts are a coveted item among those who know her work. I don't really copy them, but I try to bead like them. But beading hasn't been her only work. Birdie earned a master's degree and spent 31 years as a teacher and guidance counselor. But she's always been creative. I remember when I was in first, second grade or something, I went to a poster contest for picking up trash. And my mother kept that poster for a long time. And I think we still have it someplace. It's probably someplace in the house. And beading has long been her passion. Her work, like the cradleboard she made for her granddaughter, is beautiful, traditional and fascinating to see. I was so excited about being a grandma. I came home that night and I was so happy I took this out and I started beading this bigger part. And there's eight pieces to this. The cradleboard was actually a collaborative effort with several beading friends who together completed the project in just six weeks. And we had a big baby shower for her. And this is the piece she goes in right here. You have to kind of come apart like this. And then this is her little umbilical cord case. And I just hang it onto the cradleboard. That's her real umbilical cord? Yeah, it's in there. So this will be hers forever. Is that a traditional crow? Yeah, this is a traditional crow piece right here. And it's for girls. Like those who came before, Birdie is trying to pass on what she knows to the next generation, like her young niece who posed for photos the day I stopped by. Sometimes I have beading classes, beading circles, trying to teach the younger people how to bead and get them on an interest in creating things, being an artist. Meantime, Birdie continues to create beautiful regalia, dresses, moccasins, vests and other works. What would something like this cost? Probably $5,000. They're both wearable art and celebrate and carry on the tribe's rich cultural heritage. It has to be inside of you. And I like making things. Welcome to the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival. A celebration of all things Western, both cowboy and Indian. Like the wild horse dancers. The Native American performers are one of the many attractions. Hurrah, boys, hurrah! At a weekend that turns Southern California's Hart Park into a musical enclave of the Old West. With five stages of live music and an ambiance that makes those who love the cowboy life and love to dress the part feel right at home. We can dress up and just be ourselves. What do you like about it? The costumes. Hart Park is the most appropriate venue for a cowboy festival. The park's 265 acres were once the ranch estate of William S. Hart, one of Hollywood's first silver screen cowboys and a major movie star of the silent era. His hilltop mansion living room, adorned with original Charlie Russell paintings, was the setting for one of the festival's concerts, an intimate evening of music with John Chandler and Ernie Martinez. Last night I walked the shore, the breeze from off the water. We knew to bind us close as a mother and a daughter of a Mexican. Cowboy hats adorn most every musician on stage at the festival, but the music is all about life in the American West. I am the bandit walking. Tuning a guitar is kind of like airplane maintenance. It's worth the wait. Kristen Harris is an up-and-coming star of the Western music world. Well, every day is on about evening. Homeschooled in Texas, the 20-something grew up watching the old movies of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and listening to the jazz-influenced cowboy music of the 1940s known as Western Swing. The musical style of Western Swing is what I really like, and then Western music, cowboy music, I kind of mix that with Western Swing. It's upbeat. Yeah, that's what I was saying. It's really kind of joyful. It's a happy style of music. I mean, I don't really think you can be sad when you're listening to Western Swing. It's not the kind of stuff you hear on the radio, but fans here love it. Thank you. The nichey world of cowboy music is an intimate affair where fans and performers get up close and personal after the show. Love cowboy music. Lonesome, but I'm happy. Rich, but I'm broke. And the good Lord knows the reason. I'm just a cowboy. Santa Clarita is known as one of the top cowboy music festivals in the country. For more than 25 years, it has featured the top stars in the genre, including the now-retired Don Edwards. Yippee-yo, yippee-yo, cause there just ain't nothing better than ridin' for in the springtime. And the beloved Sons of the San Joaquin, seen here in their very last performance. Not every performer at the festival is cowboy. There's also Americana, like the new take on traditional folk and bluegrass from Arizona-based Run Boy Run. A lot of it is preserving a tradition and trying to put a new spin on that tradition. And the importance of listening to the song and the story behind the song. Just that element of storytelling. Yeah, the element of storytelling and being interested in sitting and relaxing and listening to both the story and the introduction and the song itself. It really, it was nice for us. It made us feel very welcome. The fiddle music of Dave Rainwater greets you as you first arrive at the festival, where trick roper Dave Thornberry is there to lasso visitors into the spirit of the day. It's a fun place to bring the kids, where they can try their hand at throwing a rope or checking out an old-time chuck wagon. Original wagon, built in 1910. Pretty cool, huh? We love it. We come every year for the last three years, and it's just a lot of fun. We like listening to music, and the kids love doing the mechanical bull ride, which is where we're heading next. Are you the queen of the cowgirls? Yeah. Kids aren't the only ones who like to dress up. We spotted the Lone Ranger walking the festival. Clayton Moore was a personal childhood hero of mine. We are the cowboys from Thailand. Whoo! White Elf. If you think you're a cowboy in your mind, you are. Beyond the hats and boots, to many here, a cowboy is a matter of the heart. The honesty, a certain mark of integrity, a certain amount of honor. Everybody calls me darling, little lady. It's nice. We can switch hands in front. A lot tougher, we can throw one up and one down opposite ways. But cowboys also a lot of fun. And with enough wasted afternoons, you too can do a little bit of everything, make those guns really come alive. World champion gun twirler Joey Dillon is among the festival entertainers. When he's not spinning guns, he's working on movies as a gun coach or an actor. Pop the center around the sides, reverse the trigger positions, and walk them home. There you go. Grew up watching a lot of Westerns because my dad was obsessed with playing them. And he would dry fire his gun and quick draw and holster it. And I practiced some of that and then found I had a weird God-given knack to do it, so I stayed with it. And then saw there was competitions and won a few of those and then started doing some TV work. And I thought, wouldn't it be kind of funny to make a living playing with guns? So I tried to see how far I could take that and God had his own plans with it and it finally melded together into this thing that I do. They're brand-new hats, but they're made to look like they've been through the trail. We have bolt holes, we have burns. If you didn't come to the festival dressed cowboy, you can sure go home that way. Everything you need to look the part is for sale at the many vendor booths. And Western wear can be pretty darn stylish. And the back is wonderful too. Originally they were designed to ride it, the frock coat, so it's nicely vented. But since then it's evolved and it's really come a long way. It's beautiful. Some fine craftsmen set up shop here too, like leather worker Biscuit Hatch who can put a cowboy stamp on a cell phone case. Wrap around like this. I don't know, it just makes me at peace. It's better than sitting watching TV. I'm out in the shop all the time. This is a standard elk. Native Americans have some very cool offerings as well. And it doesn't matter whether you're Native or you're cowboy, the old traditional on how to do stuff is being lost. There's even a group of Western writers on hand, happy to autograph their latest book. In the 1880s there's a lot of things that were happening then that are happening today, so there's a relevancy. So I think it's kind of encouraging to readers just to know that we had tough times before it came out of it. Through the gap Down the Arroyo It's all part of the same spirit, this love of the American West. The Western lifestyle, a way of life, a way of looking at life, celebrated in song and so many other ways. The people here just seem to understand. It's always nice to be able to have people who not only like what you're doing, but understand what you're doing and get what you're doing. That's it for now. We're back next time with more cool stuff from today's Wild West. I'm Mark Bedore. We'll see you down the trail. For more information on the people and places featured in today's Wild West or to order show DVDs and books visit todayswildwest.com Funding for today's Wild West provided by The Montana Film Commission The Leggett Foundation The Dude Ranchers Association The Dude Ranch Foundation and The Chuckwagon Trail Riders Foundation