Most Famous Cowboys of All Time

Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons

21. Henry Nash (1869-1902)
> Hometown: Mount Sterling, Indiana
> Wikipedia page views: 16,996

A cowboy from Indiana, Nash went pioneering in Arizona and later rode with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders volunteer military unit that gained fame during the Spanish-American War. Nash later became a teacher who worked in the Philippines.

Source: Donald Miralle / Getty Images

20. Mike Lee (b. 1983)
> Hometown: Billings, Montana
> Wikipedia page views: 19,405

Mike Lee is one of the greatest bull riders of all time. Lee has 50 Professional Bull Rider wins; he has finished in the top five 177 times; and he is the sixth highest PBR money winner with $3.9 million in winnings. Lee said on Facebook in November that he was going to redirect his bull riding career to other associations.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

19. Ab Saunders (1851-1883)
> Hometown: Mount Pleasant, Iowa
> Wikipedia page views: 23,827

Ab Saunders was a cowboy and gunman and an associate of Old West luminaries Billy the Kid and Doc Scurlock. Saunders was a member of the Lincoln County Regulators, a deputized posse that was involved in the Lincoln County War, a prolonged dispute between rival business factions in New Mexico in 1878.

Source: Chris Lott / Flickr

18. Casey Tibbs (1929-1990)
> Hometown: Fort Pierre, South Dakota
> Wikipedia page views: 34,661

With so many farm hands off to fight in World War II, Casey Tibbs grabbed the opportunity to augment his family’s income by breaking horses. By the time he was 22, Tibbs was considered to be the best bronc rider in the nation. Tibbs became famous, eventually appearing in movies and making the cover of “Life” magazine. Tibbs lived a flamboyant lifestyle, favoring purple satin shirts and fast cars.

Source: Mark Mainz / Getty Images

17. Baxter Black (b. 1945)
> Hometown: Las Cruces, New Mexico
> Wikipedia page views: 34,666

Baxter Black is a cowboy, philosopher, and poet who has served as a commentator on cowboy culture and rural life on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” He once went on “The Tonight Show” and regaled host Johnny Carson with a poem titled “A Vegetarian’s Nightmare” that humorously suggests that plants feel pain.