Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Drifting Cowboy: Legacy Yarns from the Open Range

 


Jerry England's personal adventures, as chronicled in the collection Drifting Cowboy: Legacy Yarns from the Open Range, paint a vivid portrait of a life steeped in the rugged, nomadic ethos of the American West—blending hands-on equestrian escapades, youthful frontier-style explorations, and reflective pursuits in art, history, and family legacy. 


Rather than sensationalized exploits, these yarns emphasize a grounded, enduring passion for horses, open landscapes, and self-reliant living, often shared nostalgically for his grandsons' edification. 


At their core, the stories reveal a man who views himself as inherently "a cowboy at heart," shaped by both direct experiences and an inherited fur trade and ranching heritage spanning 12 generations across North America.


Key facets of his adventures include:


Youthful Mountain Idylls in the 1950s Sierra Nevada: At age 15, the author relocated from urban Los Angeles to a remote, wood-heated cabin near Oakhurst, California, embracing a semi-wild existence amid Yosemite's shadows. Daily life involved chopping oak and pine for the fireplace, drilling wells for water and livestock, hunting deer and quail with a revolver and rifle from horseback, and fly-fishing for trout in the Fresno River just steps from home. Riding his red-dun gelding Sandy along forested trails or Highway 41, he navigated bear sightings at the dump, power outages lit by candlelight, and grueling school bus commutes through snow—adventures that felt like "heaven" for a horse-loving teen, fostering resilience and a deep bond with the land.


Decades of Equestrian Cowboy Life in California: Over 25 years in Chatsworth, the author immersed himself in a full-spectrum cowboy routine, logging thousands of trail rides, parade marches, and horse-camping outings across the West. He owned a rotating herd of equine companions—like the long-lived paint Zinger (ridden in ocean surf at Morro Bay), the Montana-bred Sunup, and the competitive Quarter Horse Kasidy May (partner in mounted shooting events spanning Arizona to Colorado). These escapades extended to organizing the annual "Chatsworth Day of the Horse" event, trading vintage bits, spurs, saddles and trappings, and weathering herd life through wind, illness, and loss, all while balancing family caregiving amid health challenges in his late 70s.


Creative and Reflective Wanderings: Beyond the saddle, adventures unfold through canoeing echoes of his voyageur ancestors, crafting cowboy folk art (e.g., "Cowboy Chic" furniture inspired by Western films), and authoring books like Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas on Hollywood ranch locations. A formative 1950 visit to a Montana "stump ranch" ignited his lifelong fixation, teaching him to ride amid tales of Lewis and Clark, while genealogy dives connect his carpentry, soldiering, and writing to ancestral blacksmiths, teamsters, and trappers—framing modern drifts as continuations of that legacy.


Chapter 1 Broomstick Ponies and Valley Vaqueros


Growing up cowboy -- in the San Fernando Valley

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/growing-up-cowboy-in-san-fernando.html


A Nostalgic look back at Walnut Acres (aka Woodland Hills, CA)  1953 - 1957

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/12/nostalgic-look-back-at-walnut-acres-aka.html


Cowboy Legacy, Family & Ancestry

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/cowboy-legacy-family-ancestry.html


Meetin' Wild Bill On His Calabasas Ranch

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/02/meetin-wild-bill-on-his-calabasas-ranch.html



Chapter 2 High Sierra Whispers and First Trails


Ahwahnee is an Interesting Word

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/ahwahnee-is-interesting-word.html


Cowboy Legacy -- First Deer Hunt

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/11/cowboy-legacy-first-deer-hunt.html


Cowboy Culture -- A boy, a river, and a fox in a box

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-culture-boy-river-and-fox-in-box.html


Cowboy Culture -- Recollections of Mountain Living

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/07/cowboy-culture-recollections-of-1950s.html


The Trade... Papoose Board for a Winchester

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-trade-paiute-cradleboard-winchester.html


Cowboy Legacy -- Pistol Packin' Momma

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/12/cowboy-legacy-pistol-packin-momma.html


Cowboy Culture -- Living fifty years with coach dogs

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-culture-living-fifty-years-with.html


Chapter 3 Paint Mares, Pack Strings, and Hard-Earned Wisdom


Canadian whiskey and the paint mare

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/canadian-whiskey-and-paint-mare.html


The Cowboy Who Cashed In a Winner

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-cowboy-who-cashed-in-winner.html


Bronco Billy

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/04/bronco-billy.html


Good 'Uns -- horses, trails, and friends

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/good-uns-horses-trails-and-friends.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Why carry a sharp knife

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/best-way-to-untie-panicked-horse-is.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Halters and horse sense

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cowboy-wisdom-halters-and-horse-sense.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Never trust a ground-tied pack mule

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowboy-wisdom-never-trust-ground-tied.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Avoid Bees

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/01/cowboy-wisdom-avoid-bees.html


Cowboy Wisdom -- Carry your Six-Gun On An Empty Chamber

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/01/cowboy-wisdom-carry-your-six-gun-on.html


Chapter 4 Range Riders, Saloons, and the Open Road


Hey Cowboy -- Sometimes Karma is a Bitch

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/01/hey-cowboy-sometimes-karma-is-bitch.html


New owner at the "Crossroads Saloon"

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-owner-at-crossroads-saloon.html


Miles City, Montana -- Range Rider Museum

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/miles-city-montana-range-rider-museum.html


Wild horses and the "Loneliest Road in America"

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/wild-horses-and-loneliest-road-in.html


Road trip -- White Sulphur Springs, Montana

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/01/road-trip-white-sulphur-springs-montana.html


Visiting Col. William F. Cody's TE Ranch

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/04/visiting-col-william-f-codys-te-ranch.html


Where’d you get those Wooly Chaps?

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/whered-you-get-those-wooly-chaps.html


Sometimes my Son is Good Karma

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/sometimes-my-son-is-good-karma.html


Chapter 5 Furniture, Film, and Forgotten Chatsworth


Molesworth Inspired Furniture by Jerry England (1989-2002)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2021/04/cowboy-chic-funiture-by-lure-of-dim.html


San Fernando Valley Horses and Movies Are Forever Linked

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/08/san-fernando-valley-horses-and-movies.html


Chatsworth's Garden of the Gods Park

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/chatsworths-garden-of-gods-park.html


Best of Chatsworth Movies 

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/05/chatsworth-movies-updated-links.html


Should’ve Been a Cowboy

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2024/05/shouldve-been-cowboy.html


Tribute to ol' Montana

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2019/11/seeking-my-last-best-place.html


A Cowboy's Answer To The Eternal Question

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-cowboys-answer-to-eternal-question.html


Chapter 6 Ol’ Sunup and a Few More Verses


The Anomaly

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-anomaly_97.html


Memories of Ol' Montana

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/memories-of-ol-montana.html


Whiskey and horses don't mix -- tequila might kill you

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/whiskey-and-horses-dont-mix-tequila.html


Mariposa Trail

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/mariposa-trail.html


Ol' Sunup

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/sunup.html


The Scourge of the West

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-scourge-of-west.html


Overall, Jerry’s tales have evoked a drifting yet rooted odyssey: not of outlaws or gunfights, but of quiet mastery over horses and history, where personal grit meets cultural reverence, underscoring the author's wry conviction that he "should've been a cowboy" all along. 


Your move, saddle up grandsons of the West.





Thank you to Grok xAI for suggestions on organization. -- Drifting Cowboy


Monday, April 13, 2026

A Drifting Cowboy Blogspot Index — April 2026

 


The Highland Clan McNeill and the Garron

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-highland-clan-mcneill-and-garron.html



Our Pilgrim Ancestors (Plymouth Colony): Arrived on the Mayflower in 1620

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/our-pilgrim-ancestors-plymouth-colony.html



Tracing our McNeills of Taynish and Gigha

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/tracing-our-mcneills-of-taynish-and.html



The Cowboy Who Cashed In a Winner

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-cowboy-who-cashed-in-winner.html



Scottish Bishop to Colonial Patriots and a Frontier Blacksmith: Our Boyd Lineage

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/scottish-bishop-to-colonial-patriots.html



Our Norse-Gaelic DNA from Somerled Mac Gillebride, King of the Isles — and Two Remarkable Grandmothers

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/our-norse-gaelic-dna-from-somerled-mac.html



America 250, Cousin Robert Townsend, Alias Samuel Culper Jr., was a Spy for George Washington

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/america-250-cousin-robert-townsend.html



Henry I Sinclair Earl of Orkney, Lord of Roslin: 14th-century Mariner

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/henry-i-sinclair-earl-of-orkney-lord-of.html


PART IV -- The Noisy Jarl’s Bloodline: A 36-Generation Saga from Viking Longships to American Frontiers

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/part-iv-noisy-jarls-bloodline-36.html



PART III -- The Noisy Jarl’s Bloodline: A 36-Generation Saga from Viking Longships to American Frontiers

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/part-iii-noisy-jarls-bloodline-36.html



PART II -- The Noisy Jarl’s Bloodline: A 36-Generation Saga from Viking Longships to American Frontiers

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/part-ii-noisy-jarls-bloodline-36.html



PART I -- The Noisy Jarl’s Bloodline: A 36-Generation Saga from Viking Longships to American Frontiers

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/04/part-i-noisy-jarls-bloodline-36.html



Our Hallowell Quaker family and the Easton Treaty of 1757

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/our-hallowell-family-and-friendly.html



Great grandfather, Jurian Haff, was a 1640s Field Trumpeter in the Army of the Dutch Empire of Brazil

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/great-grandfather-jurian-haff-was-1640s.html



Captain Claes Hendrickszen Lock: Prominent 17th-century sloop owner in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/captain-claes-hendrickszen-lock.html



An Intriguing New Netherland Land Purchase by Jan Fransse Van Hoesen (1608–1665), Our 9th Great-Grandfather

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/an-intriguing-new-netherland-land.html



COMING TO AMERICA PART III — Threads of Liberty: Ancestral Rejections of British Dominion Across Scottish, French, and American Lines

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/coming-to-america-part-iii-threads-of.html



COMING TO AMERICA PART II — From Conquest to Exile: The Struggles of French Canadians Under British Rule, 1763–1830

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/coming-to-america-part-ii-from-conquest.html



COMING TO AMERICA PART I — Echoes of the Frontier: Ancestors on Both Sides of the Fur Wars

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/03/coming-to-america-part-i-echoes-of.html



Genealogy Act of Kindness: Enjoy my Free Book about La Prairie's Fur Trade

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/genealogy-act-of-kindness-enjoy-my-free.html



America 250, Caleb Sweet: An Original Member of the Society of the Cincinnati

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-caleb-sweet-original-member.html



America 250, GEORGE MASON: WHO WAS INFLUENTIAL IN PENNING THE BILL OF RIGHTS

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-george-mason-who-was.html



America 250, Oliver Ellsworth: A Most Underrated Founding Father

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-oliver-ellsworth-most.html



America 250, Ichabod Hawes: Colonial-era Gunsmith

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-ichabod-hawes-colonial-era.html



America 250, My Cowboy Legacy: Peaceable Folks and a Rough Rider

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-my-cowboy-legacy-peaceable.html



America 250, The Winthrop Circle: Kinship, Migration, and the “City Upon a Hill”

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-winthrop-circle-kinship.html



America 250, The 2nd Montana Infantry Regiment, Company H, 1908

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/02/america-250-2nd-montana-infantry.html



Gabriel Pinsonneau dit Lafleur & Castorland, N.Y.

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/01/gabriel-pinsonneau-dit-lafleur.html



Why Canoeing Might Be in Jerry's Genes

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/01/why-canoeing-might-be-in-jerrys-genes.html



Cowboy Legacy: Unraveling the French-Canadian Saga of Lucy Pinsonneault

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2026/01/cowboy-legacy-unraveling-french.html



Our Head Family: Tied to valleys' heads, mills' hum, and rivers' flow

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/our-head-family-tied-to-valleys-heads.html



1917, Retirement from the Royal Gun and Carriage Factory

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/1917-retirement-from-royal-gun-and.html



From ancient New Forest across storm-tossed seas to Yankee shores

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-ancient-new-forest-across-storm.html



Scottish tenacity, from crofts to frontiers

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/scottish-tenacity-from-crofts-to.html



Interpreters and Guides: The Heart of the Fur Trade

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/interpreters-and-guides-heart-of-fur.html



Ancestral Calling--The River’s Blood: The Long Echo of the Canoe

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/ancestral-calling-rivers-blood-long.html



BOOK DRAFT: The River’s Blood: The La Prairie Voyageur Legacy by Drifting Cowboy

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/new-book-rivers-blood-la-prairie.html



The Life of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-life-of-pierre-gaultier-de-varennes.html



The Life and Journeys of René Bourassa dit LaRonde

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-life-and-journeys-of-rene-bourassa.html



From Rapids to Resilience: The Epic Tale of La Prairie-de-la-Magdeleine

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-rapids-to-resilience-epic-tale-of.html



Holy Smoke, Maybe Our Voyageur Ancestors Were Actually Vikings, 2025 update

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/holy-smoke-maybe-our-voyageur-ancestors.html


From Rollo’s Viking Invasion of Normandy to the Voyageurs of New France

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-rollos-viking-invasion-of-normandy.html



From Charlemagne's Legacy to New France: Tracing the Royal Descent to Anne Couvent, Mother of Voyageurs

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-charlemagnes-legacy-to-new-france.html



Whispers of the Wilderness Exchange: An Ode to the fur Trade

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/whispers-of-wilderness-exchange-ode-to.html



Pierre Poupart: Master Blacksmith and Trade Axe Maker

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/pierre-poupart-master-blacksmith-and.html



Paddler’s Dawn: Duquet Family Canoe Builders

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/paddlers-dawn-duquet-family-canoe.html



Echoes of the Eternal Migration: The Eagle, the Dragonfly, and the Buffalo

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/12/echoes-of-eternal-migration-eagle.html



The Frontier Forge: Valentine Boyd, Village Blacksmith

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-frontier-forge-valentine-boyd.html



The River's Blood: The La Prairie Voyageur Legacy

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-rivers-blood-la-prairie-voyageur.html



Great Granddad, William Avery, Was a Victorian Coachman

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/great-granddad-william-avery-was.html



The Arsenal’s Shadow and the Home Builder’s Dream

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-arsenals-shadow-and-home-builders.html



A saga of Colonsay’s McNeill clan, and their PEI arrival

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-saga-of-colonsays-mcneill-clan-and.html



Gunner's Gamble: John Headd in the Yellow Fever Wars (1795–1798)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/gunners-gamble-john-headd-in-yellow.html



The 1806 voyage of the Spencer from Colonsay Scotland to PEI

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-1806-voyage-of-spencer-from.html



New Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/11/new-ripples-from-la-prairie-voyageur.html



About: A Drifting Cowboy blogspot (Courtesy of GROK)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/10/about-drifting-cowboy-blogspot-courtesy.html



Immigrant Ancestors and the Great Puritan Migration (1620-1640)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/08/immigrant-ancestors-and-great-puritan.html



HOMAGE TO MY VOYAGEUR ANCESTORS

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/06/homage-to-my-voyageur-ancestors.html



SEVEN GENERATIONS OF VOYAGEUR ANCESTORS

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/05/seven-generations-of-voyageur-ancestors.html



French-Canadian Fur Trade Heritage Presentation

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/05/french-canadian-fur-trade-heritage.html



ARE YOU RELATED TO HISTORICAL FIGURES — FAMOUS COWBOY KIN

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/04/are-you-related-to-historical-figures.html



The little boy who loved horses, cowboys and the West

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/04/once-there-was-little-boy-who-loved.html



ANTIQUE WOODWORKER'S TOOL CHEST c. 1900

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/04/antique-woodworkers-tool-chest-c-1900.html



EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A TREASURE CHEST!

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/04/everyone-should-have-treasure-chest.html



SILVER SCREEN HEROES in Chatsworth Movies

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/silver-screen-heroes-in-chatsworth.html



CHATSWORTH — FILMING LOCATION FEATURES -- aka ROCK STARS

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/chatsworth-filming-location-features.html



CHATSWORTH MOVIES - A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF FILMS LENSED HERE

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/chatsworth-movies-comprehensive-list-of.html



A Drifting Cowboy’s Fishing and Canoeing Tales

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-drifting-cowboys-fishing-and-canoeing.html



A Drifting Cowboy’s -- Video Links

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-drifting-cowboys-video-links.html



A Drifting Cowboy's Yarns & Tall Tales

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-drifting-cowboys-tales.html



FAMILY HISTORY TALES & LINKS

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/family-history-cowboy-legacy-links.html



Be sure to check out my other blog about the Fur Trade

La Prairie Voyageur Canoes Index — April 2026

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2026/04/la-prairie-voyageur-canoes-index-april.html



A DRIFTING COWBOY BLOGSPOT (INDEX JAN. 2016 -- MAR. 2025)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-drifting-cowboy-blogspot-links-aug.html



CHATSWORTH AND HORSES, 25 YEARS LATER

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/01/chatsworth-and-horses-25-years-later.html



CHATSWORTH MOVIES — updated 2024

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2023/05/chatsworth-movies-updated-links.html



A Drifting Cowboy's Voyageur Legacy Vignettes (2015 - 2018 index)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2018/11/a-drifting-cowboys-voyageur-legacy.html



MOLESWORTH INSPIRED FURNITURE BY JERRY ENGLAND (1989-2002)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2021/04/cowboy-chic-funiture-by-lure-of-dim.html



About: A Drifting Cowboy blogspot (Courtesy of GROK)

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2025/10/about-drifting-cowboy-blogspot-courtesy.html


Thanks for lookin'


Come back soon