"Cowboys Roping the Bear," by Frank Tenney Johnson, sold for $921,000 in 2012. More than a century ago, railroads invested in art as part of their interest in transporting people westward.

This is cowboy art pure and simple. Think prairie landscapes, cowboys, horses, and cows. I grew up with this type of art. It even adorns the walls of my childhood home.

More than 300 art students were drawn to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo grounds Wednesday to see the Cowboy Artists of America 56th Annual Art Exhibition and Sale.

Cowboy Culture, Alive and Well A look inside the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which celebrates the arts of the American West. By Andy Rieber Feb. 10, 2015 6:15 pm ET Share ...