Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-116

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (July 28, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps we saddle up to herd some livestock.   

Cowboy

Today is National Cowboy Day.

Cowboys, the horse mounted animal herders, typically tending to cattle, are mostly associated with the American west during the expansion era of the 19th century.  They were portrayed as fiercely independent and tough folks in movies.  Cowboys also became iconic parts of cigarette ads, especially for Marlboro.

Before the cowboys in American west, this profession was practiced in Spain and in Hungary.  Both have a long standing and rich history of horsemanship and animal herding. 

The Spanish exported the idea of a cowboy to their South American possessions – Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, etc.

In Hungary, the Csikos, or cowboy, is at times assisted by herding dogs – Puli, Komondor or the Kuvasz.

Johnson’s map of a portion of the American west is presented here from 1863.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.