Cowtown, Texas
Stockyards, Fort Worth, could be portrayed as a gimmick: a Disneyland of cowboy boots, rodeo nights and saloon bars from a time gone by. It feels almost staged. But the “Cowtown” identity is not just aesthetic branding, it embodies a rich heritage of cattle ranching and trail drives, and a cowboy culture that is current, cemented and serious. This edit explores this culture through two of its most visible spaces, the rodeo and the saloon bar.
--SS, 2023
Group in a saloon bar watch a punchbag game, faces turned towards the action. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Retail frontage in Fort Worth’s Stockyards district. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
People gather on the steps outside the rodeo entrance. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
A ride ends within seconds at Cowtown Coliseum as staff move to control a bull in motion. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Field Notes.
Two people walk in cowboy attire along the pavement. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Outside after dark, crowds gather at the kerb. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Patrons in cowboy hats stand at the bar. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
People move through a crowded dance floor. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Decorated containers for tips sit on the bar counter. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Men play pool in a saloon bar. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
Men strike a punchbag machine as others watch. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
A bartender serves drinks at the bar. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.
The dance floor moves in choreographed unison. Fort Worth, Texas, USA. 10 August 2023.