Photographs and text explore the history of cowboys in Louisiana, discussing cattle ranching, trail drives, the Acadians, and the landscape; and including interviews and anecdotes.

The story of the cowboys who drove cattle across bayous, marshes, and rivers through the vast grassland prairies and marshes of south Louisiana. Known mainly for its sugarcane, oil, and seafood resources, south Louisiana has rarely been recognized for its cowboys. This illustrated account tells the largely undocumented history of migratory cattle ranching in Louisiana from colonial days up to the present, from the trail drives of the 1760s to the few existing modern-day ranches.

African American Trail Riding Clubs have their roots in the Creole culture formed in South Louisiana in the eighteenth century. Today trail rides are an opportunity for generations of people to gather, celebrate, and ride horseback. The riders form a distinctive yet little-known sub-culture in Southwest Louisiana. In addition to sharing an important aspect of Louisiana's cultural heritage, Ariaz's photographs assert a counter-narrative to historic representations of the cowboy and prevailing images of difference and despair in Black America.

Only in the Bayou State do Louisianans travel door to door on horseback collecting gumbo ingredients for Mardi Gras gatherings. Residents compete in egg pâquer contests to see who can crack their opponent's Easter egg first. Louisiana is a place where frequent collisions with natural disasters can inspire a drink like Pat O'Brien's famous hurricane. And the state's history is filled with colorful figures like Governor Earl K. Long, whose wife committed him to a mental institution--only for him to use his political pull to inspire his own release. Elsewhere these accounts may seem odd or farfetched, but it all happens in Louisiana. Join author Sam Irwin as he details these intriguing Pelican State stories with pithy observations, humorous asides and droll determinations.

The humble man from Throckmorton, Texas, often called "the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history," shares his life's journey for the first time in "A Cowboy's Life." Bob Lilly recounts his beginnings in Texas, being the first player ever drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1961, his induction into the Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as his passion for photography.

A richly illustrated and incomparable collection documenting the brands and marks of the pioneers of Southeast Louisiana

A 2014 Humanities Book of the Year Researching the original brand registration of his great-grandfather Pierre Cenac for his book Eyes of an Eagle, Dr. Christopher Everette Cenac Sr. discovered a serendipitous trove of local history in the form of long-forgotten volumes in the Terrebonne Parish Courthouse in Houma, Louisiana. The three ledger books that emerged through the efforts of the local Clerk of Court became, in themselves, a series of capsulized glimpses into the citizenry of the area's early agrarian foundations. In extraordinary condition, these ledgers held an unprecedented set of the original livestock brands and marks of bustling bayou cattle country. Each registration entry furnished a record of the progression of settlement of the parish. The registration of a brand often served as the family's calling card upon making Terrebonne Parish their home. Livestock Brands and Marks: An Unexpected Bayou Country History: 1822-1946 Pioneer Families: Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana is designed not only to share the actual registration treasures of all 1140 brands in the brand books themselves, but also to chronicle a short history of laws governing animal identification, to document advances in forms of ownership identification, and to familiarize the reader with both ancient and more recent livestock breeds that received brands and other marks recorded in those three ledger books. Three hundred black-and-white and color illustrations illuminate this fascinating history.