Jackassalope

Oddly Not Connected

One of my grandpa's and my dad’s favorite says growing up was “Powder River Let’er Buck” – a popular phrase among cowboys, a battle cry for northwest infantry during the wars, and rallying cry for many northwest universities. To commemorate the passing of my grandpa (a gritty old cowboy) I had those initials tattooed on me along with my grandpa’s brand. I didn’t think a lot about it until recently, when I came across a funny connection:

Besides being coined by a legendary cowboy, Powder River, Let’er Buck was also popularized in a book of the same title in the early 1900s by a writer/rancher who lived in Jackson, WY. I spent several years in Jackson during youth. Furthermore, I’ve also become a writer in my adult life. But finally, the writer’s name is Struthers Burt, which is also my last name.

I know that this doesn’t mean anything in any literal fashion. But it’s interesting that a phrase I grew up around and have tattooed on my body was affected so greatly by someone who has some obvious surface level connections to myself. Except of course that I’m not rancher, but I wouldn’t mind being one.

Powder River, Let’er Buck!