author
Badger Clark
1883–1957
A cowboy poet with a gift for plainspoken rhythm, he helped turn ranch life and western landscapes into enduring American verse. Best known in South Dakota as the state’s first poet laureate, he brought humor, solitude, and wide-open country onto the page.
1 Audiobook
Sun and Saddle Leather
by Badger Clark
About the author
Born in Iowa on January 1, 1883, Charles Badger Clark grew up largely in South Dakota and became one of the best-known voices of cowboy poetry in the American West. His writing drew on real western experience and was admired for its easy music, strong sense of place, and affection for the people and values of ranch life.
Clark is especially associated with South Dakota, where he was appointed the state’s first poet laureate in 1937 and held the honor until his death in 1957. He spent many years living in a cabin in Custer State Park known as the Badger Hole, a setting that matched the independent spirit reflected in his poems.
His best-known work includes collections such as Sun and Saddle Leather, and his poem "A Cowboy’s Prayer" has remained especially popular. Readers still return to his work for its warmth, wit, and vivid picture of life on the range.