The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986 Page: 98

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

his generalizations as they test them at the regional level and over a
shorter span of time. They will also be eager to test the notion that Chi-
canos have actually held the historical consciousness that Chavez at-
tributes to them over time. At this point in Chicano scholarly inquiry,
his arguments seem plausible and are in accord with what other pre-
liminary research maintains. Richard A. Garcia's main thesis in "The
Making of the Mexican American Mind," for example, is that during
the 1930s the Mexican community of San Antonio underwent a change
from a Mexican to a Mexican American mentality. The Lost Land is testi-
mony to the increased interest that students are taking in Chicano intel-
lectual history.
Angelo State University ARNOLDO DE LE6N
Dude Ranching: A Complete History. By Lawrence R. Borne. (Albuquer-
que: The University of New Mexico Press, 1984. Pp. xviii+322.
Preface, acknowledgments, illustrations, appendix, notes, bibli-
ography, index. $24.95.)
The American West should continue to fascinate historians for gen-
erations to come. The appearance of Lawrence R. Borne's study on
dude ranching certainly suggests that the historical West has not lost its
appeal. If a lesser industry, such as dude ranching, can attract such fine
scholarly treatment, then perhaps we can expect historians soon to
produce needed studies on topics of greater economic importance to
the West, such as highways, the hotel/motel industry, general tourism,
and air transportation.
Borne's study is indeed the complete history of dude ranching as best
it can be told. While it lacks information on the economic impact of the
industry on the West, Borne readily admits the deficiency by noting
that few dude ranchers kept records. The author was also unable to
measure the industry's influence upon rail and bus service to the West,
but he does define the relationship between dude ranching and the
transportation industry.
Dude ranchers played an important role in romanticizing the West.
Many had been conventional ranchers who found, after they had suf-
fered losses from declining cattle prices, that easterners would pay well
to experience the American West. After ranches had attracted the likes
of Owen Wister and Theodore Roosevelt, dude ranching's future was
assured.