Nathan Howard "Jack" Thorp (June 10, 1867 – June 4, 1940) was an American collector and writer of
cowboy songs and
cowboy poetry
Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry that grew from a tradition of cowboys telling stories.
Authorship
Contrary to common belief, cowboy poetry does not actually have to be written by cowboys, though adherents would claim that authors should have s ...
. Starting in 1889, he collected cowboy material while living in New Mexico. His small book ''Songs of the Cowboys'' was published there in 1908. It was the first such book ever published, containing the words to only 23 songs, including the now-classic "
The Streets of Laredo" and "
Little Joe the Wrangler". A greatly expanded second edition was published in 1921. Today, Thorp is credited with being the first person to take a serious interest in collecting and preserving the homespun ballads of the American West.
Early life
Nathan Howard Thorp was the youngest of three sons of a New York City lawyer and real estate investor. As a child he summered at his brother's ranch in Nebraska, and at nineteen he moved there. Later he moved to
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, where he worked as a
cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
and a civil engineer, operated cattle and sheep ranches, and served as New Mexico's state cattle inspector. He married in 1903, living in Palma (100 miles east of
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
) and
Santa Fe before moving closer to Albuquerque in 1935.
Career
Jack Thorp began collecting and writing cowboy songs in 1889; his ''Songs of the Cowboys'' was published in
Estancia, New Mexico
Estancia is a town in Torrance County, New Mexico, Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 1,242. It is the county seat of Torrance County, New Mexico, Torrance County. ...
in 1908. An expanded version was published by
Houghton Mifflin
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
in 1921. His later publications included ''Tales of the Chuck Wagon'' (1926) and ''Pardner of the Wind: Story of the Southwestern Cowboy'' (published posthumously in 1941 with Neil M. Clark). His fiction and poetry also appeared in
New Mexico Magazine
''New Mexico Magazine'' was launched in 1923, and is the first state magazine founded in the United States. It is published monthly in print, online, and via an iOS app. Additionally, the magazine also maintains a store, selling New Mexico-relat ...
,
The Cattleman,
The Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 ...
,
Poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
, and
The Literary Digest
''The Literary Digest'' was an American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current Opinion''. ...
. ''Cowland'', a book-length story targeted towards a younger audience, remains unpublished.
From 1936 to 1939 Thorp worked for the
Works Progress Administration’s New Mexico
Federal Writers’ Project
The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers and to develop a history and overview of the United States, by state, cities and other jurisdictions. It was ...
.
N. Howard Thorp died at his home in Alameda, New Mexico, on June 4, 1940.
A new edition of ''Songs of the Cowboys'', including biographical material and a CD with many of its songs played on historical instruments, was published in 2005 by the University of New Mexico Press.
References
External links
*
*
Full text version of ''Songs of the Cowboys'' 1921 edition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorp, N. Howard
American collectors
1867 births
1940 deaths