Celebrate America's Western Heritage
at the only event of its kind in
Southeast Kansas!

Abe Reddekopp

The era of cattle drives and the open range has long since faded into the sunset but the lore and songs inspired by the North American cowboy live on. Today, the image of the cowboy is still one of our most enduring icons.

The very mention of the word cowboy gives rise to vistas of another day when the West was young. When you could leave your saddle on the fence and expect to find it there the next morning. My interest in cowboy music and cowboy life goes back to a log home on a Saskatchewan homestead where the miracle of radio brought the strains of western music to the Reddekopp household.

I still recall listening to the songs of Canada's favorite cowboy, Wilf Carter, whose simple, emotive songs were the favorites of almost everyone. Far off stations to the south introduced me to the music of Gene Autry, the up and coming Sons of the Pioneers and a host of other artists.

My wife Clarice and I served many years in international ministry along the Texas/Mexico border. Now residing in Kansas City, MO we have four grown children.

Roots and Saddles

I am the son of a pioneer. In 1934, my father, Jacob Reddekopp, loaded a wagon with our family's meager possessions. With cattle in tow, my family left Aberdeen, Saskatchewan to begin a new life in a homestead community near the small village of Swan Plain. The journey took nine days. One year later, my father died, leaving my mother and 10 children.

My older brothers built a two-story log home and outbuildings as we sank our roots into the rocky, tree-studded soil. Living off the land was more than an adage. For us, it was reality.