Home On The Range

It was in the fall of 1872 that Dr. Brewster Higley sat in his little cabin on Kansas' Beaver Creek and penned the poem "My Western Home." The good doctor had moved to Kansas ten years earlier as a part of the Homestead Act that brought thousands of people West, and he was quite taken with the beauty of his new home. The blue skies, endless prairie, and abundant wildlife inspired Higley, though he didn't really intend for the poem to have a wider audience.

Before long, though, a friend read it and encouraged Higley to turn it into a song. As he felt inadequate to the task, he asked local fiddler Dan Kelley to help him set the poem to music. His neighbors took a liking to the song, and soon its fame spread. As people passed through, the song traveled with them, and by the turn of the century, it was variously known as "Home On The Range," "My Colorado Home," and "My Arizona Home."

With the advent of recordings, this very singable song became a pop hit more than once, and President Franklin Roosevelt even declared it his favorite song in 1932. By 1947 it had come full circle, and was adopted as Kansas' state song.

The cabin where the song was written is still standing, and is now a special historical site. You can see it and read more about the history of this song at the several links to be found on our web site. Check the "Links" section for this issue at MusicK8.com

Our simple arrangement includes two verses and can be either sung in unison or with the optional harmony that starts at the chorus of the song. The recording is especially nice, with acoustic guitars, a string section, and the distinctively warm sound of the harmonica as played by Michael Runyon. There is an easily accomplished 3-way harmony for the last two bars, though it, too, is optional.