Romance on tlw Range Was the dude wrangler a predator? Sometimes. Did she care? Not always. By Donnelyn Curtis
ong before Reno was known as a women. Whether or not she initiated the gambling destination, it was known proceedings, a woman in the first half of the L as the place to get divorced. From 20th century was generally freer to leave 1910 through the 1960s, Nevada offered a home for the six-week "cure" than her hus solution to tens of thousands of couples liv band, who was more likely to be employed. ing in other states where it was difficult to Women (and some men) from all levels end a failed marriage and move on with their of society flocked to Reno, populating a lives. The only catch was that Nevada law "colony" with its own culture, living in required one party in the divorce to become hotels, boardinghouses, rooms in private a resident. homes, and- for those who could afford The initial six-month residency require it- nearby dude ranches, or divorce ranches ment was reduced to three months in 1927, as they came to be known. For some, the and then to six weeks in 1931. The "divorce waiting period was something to be endured industry" that expanded to serve a growing and forgotten as quickly as possible. For oth number of migratory divorce seekers cush ers, their time in Nevada was an adventure, ioned the blow of the Great Depression for an eye-opener, and a transformative experi the state's economy. ence to be remembered. A few divorcees The cowboy gigolo is Reno's own special product. Most of the temporary residents were never left.
A$1 , 000 00 PRIZE STORY
OE L;\1\YE and I were very- young when we ran n-a.y and Mamma felt I a)Uid never make any but a brilliant maniage. married. We would probably ha.ve waited until v.oe 1\'efe J. older and beUcr able to many, if it hadn't been for my O::J.;~~~ r~!=\:reM=·~~!; ~n a,.:~~io~~~ !1\0thcr. Mamma was to anxious to keep us apart tbat she vir· Dad was no millionaire-just comfortably well oft. But Mamma tually threw us in to each other's anna. was determined to show me oft to the best advantage. She superintended the buying of my dothes and, because she had ex· n!;'(n:'friendship for "that awful Lane bor". mother, or cut wood, or mow the gra&$ on the tiny strip of lawn But now I was growing up, and Joe was & menace. He was in front of their shabby house in the aprawlins outakirts of Crest poor, and a nobody- both crima in Manuna'seyes. If he hung "''bod. I'm sure he had time to play. He wu simply in awe of around too much, he might frighten oft really eligible men. Mamma and our great house. Mamma ordered me to stop seeing him. He wu such a serious little fellow, and he took his responsi· I tried to rebel. 'There wu a terrible scene and Mamma bad bili ties so hard. I suppose beins the only .on of a poor widow one of ber heart attacks. Mamma a)Uld always a)Unt on win· did that. He wu always plannins for t he future. ning ~ ~ ttk with a....., .. ...~~ • · - of it was, they " I 'm goins to work hard and go to college, and be a .-.;,...... : - ireru;y tb&tahe n~A~," he used '" . .. ~-·- -- •·· · .ke his headin 1one had tried nke hou any mot .. Crestwnc
"Reno Madness" was the first part ofa very long feature in True Story Magazine in March 1936. INSET: Dudes and cowboy, Pyramid Lake Dude Ranch, ca. 1934. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO LIBRARIES
30 • RANGE MAGAZINE • SPR ING 2016 meets the handsome, virile-or kindheart ed, rugged or tender, wise, free, experienced or innocent, candid or enigmatic-divorces. The amount of truth varied, of course. But dude wrangler was a real occu pation, and they were usually hired at the ranch for cowboy work as well as for "other duties;' based on qualities or attributes that went beyond their ability to ride and take care of horses. Some of the cowboys married divorcees they met on the job, and some even went into the dude ranch business with their new wives. In real life, affairs between female "dudes" and cowboys were commonplace in Reno's divorce colony, although relationships between real people were sometime less tidy ABovE: Preparing to ride, Pyramid than those in stories and novels. "Rebound" Lake Ranch, relationships are not always successful, espe ca.1950. cially when there are cultural differences to LEFT: A Lew Hymers postcard, transcend. Sometimes there was a broken ca.1942. heart at the end. But the divorcee would gen erally return home and adjust to her modi fied, yet still familiar life, and the cowboy would meet fresh guests. Was he a predator? Sometimes. Did she with all of these care? Not always. services from their Eventually, laws in other states were staff-particularly relaxed and there was no longer a need to from their hired travel to Nevada. Divorce ranches closed or cowboys, or "dude evolved into other kinds of operations, and a wranglers" as they colorful era came to an end. • called themselves. Nevadans for the most part welcomed Others called them "cowboy gigolos;' a char Donnelyn Curtis is the head of Special these marital refugees and made them feel at acterization that oversimplified the many Collections at the University ofNevada, Reno home. Many in the trade offered emotional types of dude wranglers and the roles they Libraries, which recently launched "fllumi support and diversions to help ease the pain, played on divorce ranches. nating Reno's Divorce Industry," an online the dislocation, and the boredom that might For decades, popular culture fed the exhibit. Within the site at http://renodivorce afflict the visitors. The most successful pro stereotype of Reno's cowboy gigolo through history.org is a wealth ofinformation (stories, prietors of boardinghouses and divorce tales of divorce ranch romances in magazine books, cartoons, photographs, research mate rials) on the history and lore ofthe dude ranches were able to lend a sympathetic ear features, cartoons, novels, plays and movies. ranch cowboys, among other topics. The pro to their guests, to keep them occupied, to It made a great story-the beautiful but ject was funded by the Institute for Museum introduce them to new experiences, and to demoralized-or fragile, crushed, angry, and Library Services. bolster their self-esteem when needed. frustrated, disturbed, or just spoiled and Divorce ranch managers got some help bored-debutante from the East Coast
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