Cornyn: National Day of the Cowboy: Remembering the cowboys behind Lonesome Dove saga Sen. John Cornyn Special to the E-T Keep your saddle oiled and your gun greased because the “National Day of the Cowboy” – the fourth Saturday in July – is finally here. This day celebrates the lasting legacies of the cowboys that pioneered the American West as they worked cattle, beginning after the Civil War in the heart of Texas. If you’ve read or watched Lonesome Dove then you know the intrepid tale of the two retired Texas Rangers, Augustus "Gus" McCrae and W.F. "Woodrow" Call, who traveled from the Rio Grande in Texas to Montana in the 1870s driving a herd of stolen Texas Longhorns. These two men are the epitome of this holiday and helped define the American cowboy experience. Their story is widely regarded as one of the most realistic portrayals of the Wild West.