Travel by numbers: Cowboy Country
On the day when America salutes the men who built the nation, Nancy Hughes rounds up the numerology of the Wild West
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Admission price in dollars (about £1.70) for the "Live Bull Riding" that takes place each Friday and Saturday evening at Billy Bob's Texas, the "world's largest honky-tonk" in Fort Worth. If watching cowboys being flung from bulls sounds too rough, go along to the free line-dancing classes on Thursday evenings instead. billybobstexas.com
25
Date in July of the National Day of the American Cowboy. Celebrated on the fourth Saturday of July each year, the day includes staged shoot-outs and cowboy poetry recitals. A good place to be is the Red Mule Ranch in Fiddletown, California, which promises a "chuck wagon tri-tip dinner" as well as cow-camp storytelling. scofieldscowboycampfire.com
1
Poll rating by readers of American Cowboy magazine of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. At the entrance, a massive statue of Buffalo Bill astride a rearing horse invites you to explore the culture, art and history of the West; 9am-5pm daily, admission $10. nationalcowboymuseum.org
1,562
Population of the city of Tombstone, Arizona. Known as "The Town Too Tough to Die" with dusty streets and traditional saloon bars, Tombstone resembles a film set. cityoftombstone.com
99
Number of years that the largest rodeo in California, situated in the laid-back town of Salinas, celebrates in 2009. It's something of an extreme sports show for rodeo lovers. Events include tie-down roping, a fast-paced event where the cowboy has to lasso and control a rampaging calf, with roots dating back to the working ranches of the old west. carodeo.com
267,000
Area in square miles of Texas (more than England and France combined). Bandera, on the Medina River north-west of San Antonio, is a former staging area for cattle droves, and claims to be the "Cowboy Capital of the World". Several ranches in the area offer accommodation. ranchamerica.co.uk
148
The number of Western films released in 1935, the highest annual total to date. Today you can visit the Museum of Lone Pine Film History in eastern California, close to locations where about 400 great Westerns – some of which are shown at the Wild West cinema adjoining the museum. lonepine filmhistorymuseum.org
3,000
The number of bison at the Terry Bison ranch, seven miles south of the town of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Activities here include outdoor cooking, bison drives and a train tour of the bison herd spread over the 30,000 acres of lush grassland that expands into Colorado. There are also bunkhouses and RV sites if you wish to stay. terrybisonranch.com
165
Rate in dollars (£110) for a one-day horseback trail ride through Yellowstone National Park in Montana with Yellowstone Mountain Guides. This company organises day trips for all those wishing to experience a true cowboy adventure on horseback. You can also take excursions outside the park into wilder landscapes. yellowstone-guides.com
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