Wally McRae

American cowboy poet (1936–2025)

Wally McRae

McRae in 1990

Born| Wallace Donald McRae
(1936-02-26)February 26, 1936
Rosebud, Montana, U.S.
Died| June 22, 2025(2025-06-22) (aged 89)
Occupation| Cowboy, cowboy poet
Alma mater| Montana State University (BS)
Genre| Poetry, stories
Years active| 1985–2025
Notable works| "Reincarnation"
"Things of Intrinsic Worth"
Notable awards| National Heritage Fellowship
Spouse| Ruth Hayes

Wallace Donald McRae (February 26, 1936 – June 22, 2025) was an American rancher, cowboy, cowboy poet and philosopher. He ran the 30,000-acre (120 km2) Rocker Six Cattle Co. ranch on Rosebud Creek, south of Rosebud, Montana.

## Background

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McRae was born on February 26, 1936.[1] A third-generation rancher, his family members raised cattle and sheep in southeastern Montana from 1885.[2]

He attended grade school and high school in nearby Colstrip, Montana. He graduated from Montana State University in 1958 with a degree in zoology and chemistry.[3] After college, he was commissioned by the United States Navy and served in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets. Following the death of his father in 1960, McRae returned to Montana with his wife Ruth Hayes to take over the family ranching operations.[2]

McRae died on June 22, 2025, at the age of 89.[4]

## Career

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McRae recalled having recited his first poem at age 4, at the one-room schoolhouse attended by his sisters. Thereafter, he published more than 100 poems on topics both humorous and romantic, as well as matters of social concern such as environmental protection.[5]

As a poet, McRae was considered a "fixture at national cowboy poet gatherings" and was "internationally known for his poem 'Reincarnation' ".[3] Since 2015, McRae was an invited performer at every Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering.[6]

Journalist Charles Kuralt discussed McRae's efforts to preserve the land and the cowboy way of life in a small community in his book, Charles Kuralt's America.[7] McRae was the subject of a segment on the American TV newsmagazine series 60 Minutes[6] and he read his poetry in a 1999 episode of the PBS series P.O.V.[8] His poems have been included in many anthologies of cowboy poetry.[9] In addition, McRae wrote the foreword to a collection of cowboy poetry published in 2000.[10]

## Awards and honors

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* 1989: Governor's Award for the Arts in Montana[3]
* 1990: National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts[11]
* Nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve on the National Council of the Arts[citation needed]
* 1999: The Missoulian listed McRae as number 42 in the Most Influential Montanans of the Century[12]
* 2009: Montana Book of the Year award for Stick Horses[6]
* 2020: Inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame, with the Living Award[13]
* H.G. Merriam Award, University of Montana Mansfield Library[6]

## Published works

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* Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life (2009)[14]
* Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems (1992)[15]
* Things of Intrinsic Worth: Poems (1989)[16]
* It's Just Grass & Water: Poems (1986)[17]
* Up North is Down the Crick: Poems (1985)[18]

* Poetry portal

## References

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1. ^ "McRae, Wallace". id.loc.gov. Library of Congress. May 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
2. ^ a b Govenar, Alan, ed. (2001). "Wallace McRae: Anglo-American Cowboy Poet". Masters of Traditional Arts: A Biographical Dictionary. Vol. 2 (K-Z). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. pp. 422–423\. ISBN 1576072401. OCLC 47644303.
3. ^ a b c Arthur, Jean (Spring 2005). "Cowboy Poets: linking art and agriculture through rhyme on the range". alumni.montana.edu. Collegian. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
4. ^ "Wallace McRae, age 89, of Colstrip". stevensonfuneralhomes.com. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
5. ^ "Wallace McRae: Cowboy Poet". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
6. ^ a b c d "Montanans You Should Know: Wally McRae". www.distinctlymontana.com. Star Ridge New Media. March 21, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
7. ^ Kuralt, Charles (1996). Charles Kuralt's America. New York: Anchor Books. pp. 205–208\. ISBN 9780385485104. OCLC 34690902.
8. ^ Toner, Noreen (September 19, 1999). "Documentary Features Art of Abescon Twins". The Press of Atlantic City. Atlantic City, NJ. p. Entertainment section, B1.
9. ^ "Cowboy Poetry Anthologies Index". www.cowboypoetry.com. Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
10. ^ McWhorter, Larry (2000). Coggin, Janice; Coggin, Mason (eds.). Cowboy Poetry. Phoenix, AZ: Cowboy Miner Productions. ISBN 9780966209136. OCLC 44514318.
11. ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1990". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
12. ^ "100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century". The Missoulian newspaper. Archived from the original on March 3, 2001. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
13. ^ "Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame to celebrate inductees August 14 in Great Falls". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. July 29, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
14. ^ McRae, Wallace (2009). Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life (1st ed.). Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605911. OCLC 259258556.
15. ^ McRae, Wallace (1992). Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems (1st ed.). Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9780879054632. OCLC 24628221.
16. ^ McRae, Wallace D. (1989). Things of Intrinsic Worth. illustrated by Clinton Y. McRae. Bozeman, MT: Outlaw Books. ISBN 9780945960027. OCLC 22137021.
17. ^ McRae, Wallace (1986). It's Just Grass and Water (1st trade ed.). Spokane, WA: Oxalis. OCLC 17643917.
18. ^ McRae, Wallace (1985). Up North is Down the Crick. Bozeman, MT: Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University. ISBN 9780933819009. OCLC 12751826.

## External links

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* Wally McRae at IMDb
* Wally McRae discography at Discogs
* McRae feature includes text of five poems, including "Reincarnation" and "Things of Intrinsic Worth"
* Short film on McRae, including his recitation of "Things of Intrinsic Worth"

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Other|

* Yale LUX