Boots O’Neill, a brand inspector, sits on a bed in The Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, in 2009. “At 77 years old he still rides and works every day,” Hilton said. “The day I took this photograph his wife had died exactly three years previously, almost to the hour. Her neck scarf still hangs on the dresser.” #

Allan Randolph, a gun collector, in his home in Beulah, Colorado, in 2006. He told Hilton “The elk went through the window because it couldn’t fit through the door.” #

Ed Hitchcock, a ranch hand, in Cave Creek, Arizona, in 2008. “I built this bar so me and my neighbors would have somewhere to go for a drink,” he told Hilton. #

Johnny Green, a livestock trader, in Cortez, Colorado, in 2006. He told Hilton that he sold John Wayne his horse called “Dollar,” which appeared in many films. #

Cotton Logan, a cowpuncher, in Peeples Valley, Arizona, in 2008. At 75 years of age, Logan has undergone two back operations and one hip replacement, according to Hilton. “As long as I can get on my horse and ride every day, I will go on forever,” he said to her. #

Herman Manzanares, a vaquero, in Abiquiu, New Mexico, in 2008. “The ranch belonged to my father and has been in the family for over a 100 years,” he said to Hilton. #