Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp · Character

Charles Badger Clark

A poet who lived the range life he wrote about, lending the collection its sharpest eye for cowboy speech and its tenderest ear for loneliness.

supporting

Also known as Charley, The Cowboy, Charles Badger Clark Jr., Charles B. Clark

First appearance: songs of the cattle trail and cow camp

As a supporting figure in Songs of the Cattle Trail and Cow Camp, Charles Badger Clark is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The author, who dedicates the book to his college friends.

In the storyDedicationOpen this moment free

Clark appears as both author and persona, a man who could swing a singin' pen and still smell the sheep on his clothes. His distinctive tension is between the literary East and the working West, between pretty wrongs and greasy gray reality. He matters because his poems, like The Sheep-Herder and A Cowboy at the Carnival, give the collection its most authentic voice and its most durable characters.

See Charles Badger Clark in Dedication Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

26 connections

A slice of how Charles Badger Clark sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Friendship
Other

Character groups

Authors and Character References
Protagonist
Poetic Personas and Figures
Border and Love Characters

+21 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional/psychological peak occurs when the speaker shifts from describing the Colt as a cold, bellicose…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Unknown Narrator
professional · positive
Charles Badger Clark is a poet and author whose works are recited or referenced by the… How this plays out →
Uncle Ed
friendship · positive
Uncle Ed
friendship · positive
Unknown Narrator
professional · positive
Charles Badger Clark is a poet and author whose works are recited or referenced by the… How this plays out →
Unknown Narrator
professional · positive
Charles Badger Clark is a poet and author whose works are recited or referenced by the… How this plays out →

Unknown Narrator
Charles Badger Clark is a poet and author whose works are recited or referenced by the narrator.
Uncle Ed
Charles Badger Clark and Uncle Ed are fellow storytellers and cowboy poets who share camaraderie.
Uncle Ed
Charles Badger Clark and Uncle Ed are fellow storytellers and cowboy poets who share camaraderie.
Unknown Narrator
Charles Badger Clark is a poet and author whose works are recited or referenced by the narrator.
Unknown Narrator
Charles Badger Clark is a poet and author whose works are recited or referenced by the narrator.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Charles Badger Clark in songs of the cattle trail and cow camp

In the story

Charles Badger Clark appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Dedication
The author, who dedicates the book to his college friends.
A Border Affair
The narrator and speaker of the poem, reflecting on his past love.
When You're Throwed
Attributed as the author of the poem, though the narrator is a generic cowboy.
The Bunk-House Orchestra
Author of the poem, depicted as part of the cowboy group enjoying the bunkhouse orchestra.
Part III: Cowboy Types
Author of 'The Sheep-Herder' and 'A Cowboy at the Carnival', providing vivid portraits of cowboy life.
A Ranger
Author of the poem, narrating the ranger's story.
The Outlaw
Author and speaker of the poem, reflecting on the struggle between man and beast, and man and himself.
The Sheep-Herder
The narrator and sheep-herder, identified as Charles Badger Clark, Jr., who expresses his solitude and longing for his sweetheart.
The Old Cowman
The speaker and author of the poem, expressing personal nostalgia and lament over the fencing of the open range.
Just A-Ridin’!
Author of the poem, as credited in the excerpt.
Endnotes
Referenced in the endnote about a fragment not included in his poem.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Charles Badger Clark unlock in the free preview.

See Charles Badger Clark in songs of the cattle trail and cow camp

See Charles Badger Clark in Dedication