By Peter Hiller
Images used with permission of Monterey History and Art Association
It is rare that a person has both the wisdom and curiosity to envision how cultures will evolve and more so, understands how and why cultures change before they do. Joseph Jacinto “Jo” Mora (1876–1947) was one such person. He documented what he saw as a shifting American West with artistic accomplishments that weave through the past like a rattlesnake through the sagebrush.
As a young child growing up in the eastern United States, Mora was fascinated with the American cowboy and Native American cultures. He wrote and illustrated numerous stories, filling notebooks with chaptered tales of those inhabiting the West, recognizing—even at an early age—their way of life was changing as more people moved to the frontier’s open ranges.
Inspired by Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and his father’s interest in native cultures, Mora set off to explore the West. His travels brought him to California, where he spent time on the Donahue Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. Mora bought his own horse and rode with the local ranchers and vaqueros in the area. He was a quick learner, spoke Spanish as well as English, and learned the ways of the Californios with such depth that it would inspire his creativity throughout the rest of his life.
Later, Mora created dynamic bronze sculptures of horseback cowboys, and (most notably to the cowboy culture) wrote and illustrated two remarkable books: Trail Dust and Saddle Leather and Californios, still considered reliable references of the vanishing West. His illustrated posters of cowboy and Native cultures are also among the most definitive for the period.
Jo Mora’s life and artistic career are worthy of a lifetime of research. He truly exemplifies the dedication of a committed artist and a lover of the history of the American West. ★
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This article appears in the Spring 2023 issue of the Ranch Record. Would you like to read more stories about NRHC and ranching life? When you become a member of the Ranching Heritage Association, you’ll receive the award-winning Ranch Record magazine and more while supporting the legacy and preservation of our ranching heritage. Become a member today.