The Cowboy Capital Image

The Cowboy Capital

By Alan Ng | July 1, 2025

Is it just me, or does the simpler, easy-going “cowboy” lifestyle sound very attractive at this point in U.S. History? Artur Owczarski’s documentary, The Cowboy Capital, sure makes a strong case. The film transports us to the town of Bandera, Texas, nestled in the Texas Hill Country that proudly claims the title “Cowboy Capital of the World.” With fewer than 1,000 residents, Bandera has become a cultural time capsule of U.S. history from a bygone era. Serving today in the “hospitality” industry, Bandera is a place where you can learn and experience cowboy culture firsthand. Western-style storefronts, weekly rodeos, and gunfight reenactments on Main Street reflect the town’s commitment to keeping cowboy traditions alive. Its history is also unique, dating back to the 1850s with an influx of Polish immigrants.

As much fun as history is, what most people are drawn to is the town’s celebration of cowboy values — hard work, personal freedom, loyalty, and a deep connection to nature. Interview after interview claims that the most essential aspect of living in Bandera is living by a code. Whether it’s rising before dawn to tend to livestock or embracing life far from big city chaos, the residents of Bandera describe the cowboy way as a lifestyle rooted in independence and respect for the land, animals, and one another.

Bandera is about its people, whose stories bring the town’s values to life. Roy Dugosh, an elderly community figure, serves as both narrator and living symbol of Bandera’s past. A former head of the historical commission, Roy helped name the town “Cowboy Capital of the World” and appears throughout the film in scenes as the “sleeping cowboy”—a visual metaphor for tradition being passed to the next generation. That next generation is represented by 18-year-old Gavan Hauck, a rising rodeo star who’s already winning bull-riding competitions and supporting his family through his skills. Roy and Gavan’s contrasting journeys—one grounded in legacy, the other in ambition—capture the spirit of Bandera and the enduring legacy of the cowboy way.

Elderly cowboy resting under a tree in Bandera, Texas

Roy Dugosh, the “sleeping cowboy,” symbolizes the passing of cowboy traditions to future generations in The Cowboy Capital.

“…the town’s celebration of cowboy values — hard work, personal freedom, loyalty…”

For me, there’s something irresistible about leaving the big city and slowing life down a lot. The Cowboy Capital often contrasts the idea of community and how, on the open plain, we are all neighbors ready and willing to help anyone in need, versus big city life, where we are strangers to our neighbors in the apartment next door. There’s also a realization of how much we’re tied to our tech. Bandera has a girls’ ranch camp where tech is cast aside, and your sole goal is to connect with your horse.

As a documentary, the low-budget and DIY documentary filmmaking is noticeable from the start. It has a library travel video feel to its look and feel. This is not an HBO-level documentary by any means. But then again, we’re going back into the past, maybe it’s appropriate that the film looks like it was shot in the past.

If anything, the participants love Bandera, and The Cowboy Capital features a diverse range of subjects of all ages, including some families who have been there from the beginning and others who are recent transplants. At the end, there is a realization that this lifestyle may be fading with history as the current population rests at under 1,000 citizens. They find themselves at a critical junction: either restore their thriving community beyond its educational and entertainment purposes or risk becoming a ghost town.

The Cowboy Capital (2025)

Directed and Written: Artur Owczarski

Starring: Roy Dugosh, Gavan Hauck, etc.

Movie score: 7.5/10

The Cowboy Capital Image

"…maybe it's appropriate that the film looks like it was shot in the past."

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