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








