The Dude Ranchers’ Association, founded in 1926, launched its year-long centennial celebration late last month at the organization’s 100th annual meeting and convention in Billings, Montana.
“As we enter this landmark era, we are not just celebrating 100 years. This milestone represents a century of stewardship of our natural resources by long-time family ranchers who seek joy in sharing their livelihood with visitors from around the world,” says DRA Executive Director Bryce Albright. She added that multigenerational family-owned dude ranches are the backbone of the association, citing decades-old members Eaton’s’ Ranch in Wyoming, Nine Quarter Circle Ranch in Montana, Drowsy Water Ranch in Colorado, Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in Idaho, V6 Ranch in California, White Stallion Ranch in Arizona and many other spreads. Dude ranch operators, Albright says, are the original environmentalists.
Speaking of the impact of family-owned dude ranches, Mary Eaton says sharing the common goal of staying in operation and keeping the family legacy alive is what drives the multigenerational ranch. “We have the ability and privilege of influencing families who may never get another opportunity to visit a ranch like ours. Sending them home with the knowledge of how hard ranchers work to keep the environment healthy is a goal all of us have.”
Family Business featured White Stallion Ranch and second-generation owner-operator Russell True in its September/October 2025 issue. True notes that his dude ranch and others are at the forefront of animal welfare, solar and other alternative energy resources, and land resource management.
On Feb. 19, DRA shared the YouTube premiere of Wyoming PBS’ documentary “The Call of the West.” The documentary traces the rise of the dude ranch and features scenery of historic dude ranches in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Arizona, as well as interviews with iconic ranch families. Information on family-owned multigenerational dude ranches can be found at https://duderanch.org and individual dude ranch websites.