Country Lifestyles
Will James — The Tale of a French-Canadian boy turned American Cowboy
By Jessica Crabtree
The tale of Will James’ life is one of heartache. The truly talented artist and author was plagued by anxiety, self-doubt, self-worth and the underlying need to sooth his yearning for the lifestyle he had desired so badly since boyhood.
Will James was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault on June 6, 1892, in a small village in the southern province of Quebec. The second of his name was adopted for family use. His parents, Jean and Josephine Dufault were French Canadians bearing six children, three boys and three girls. Ernest was the second child.
In his formative years the family lived in St. Nazaire, a rural area with an uncle close who had a farm. Ernest showed an affinity to drawing as a young child, always sketching portraits of horses, cows and dogs. The Dufault family seemed to roam, living in various places looking to better themselves with opportunity. The Dufault children received a standard education of French-Canadian Roman Catholic that most youth did. Having had an education up to the eighth grade, Ernest developed a love for both the picture and word, and in any leisure time would be reading or sketching.
All the Dufault children had artistic ability, but only Ernest pursued it at any length. By the age of 15 Ernest was infatuated with the idea of living in the Western Frontier and was sure he wanted to seek out a life there. His parents were very much against the idea of their son leaving home; however, over time they realized their son’s persistence wasn’t just a “boyish childhood” dream. The two gave the 15-year-old their blessing and the summer of 1907 he left his childhood home to pursue his dreams.
His transition wasn’t an easy one, leaving his French speaking home of Quebec to entering the English speaking area of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Sourcing the book, “Will James — The Life and Works of a Lone Cowboy,” little is known about this part of Ernest’s life. What is known is this was his first real contact with horses, the animal he was so enamored with. Western Canada allowed the youth both time and guidance for learning the language and ways of the cowboy, but to the aspiring cowboy, the real cowboy he longed to be needed to head for the American West.
To read more pick up a copy of the March 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe to NTFR call 940-872-5922.
James working on a piece in 1935. (Photo from book “Will James- The Life and Works of a Lone Cowboy.”
Will James, artist and author. 1892-1942. (Photo from book “Will James- The Life and Works of a Lone Cowboy.”
By Dal Houston
I am terribly saddened by all the argumentative discourse that seems to be going on in today’s world. It seems as though it is no longer enough just to disagree on certain issues. We are expected to classify someone as an enemy if they do not always agree with us on all issues, lest we be considered weak.
To make things even worse, because those who disagree with you are now considered enemies, the sentiment seems to be that it is only fair and proper to destroy them, because they are the enemy, again with the fear of ridicule for being weak if we do not fight.
With all that said, and seemingly unrelated, I am a big John Wayne fan. From watching him dive into his role as a cowboy, to marveling at his time portraying a soldier or appreciating his acting gig as a sailor, there is seldom a week that goes by without me watching at least one
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Martha Crump
That old adage, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.,” may have some basis in truth when applied to minor situations. However, when what you don’t know is presented in the form of a “Trojan Horse” and is what amounts to an incredible attempt to fleece American property rights, it becomes a different story altogether.
To put this unbelievable tale together, we need to step back to Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order which pledged commitment to help restore balance on public lands and waters, to create jobs, and to provide a path to align the management of America’s public lands and waters with our nation’s climate, conservation, and clean energy goals.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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