Picture a cowboy. You'll probably think of young men with wide-brimmed hats and spurred boots riding through a dusty frontier town. You probably don’t picture thousands of mostly black men and women riding through rural east Texas, blasting country and rap music.

Yet that's what descended on Columbus, Texas, this August. The gatherings, known as Creole trail rides, are growing increasingly popular across the U.S. Part horse-riding, part rodeo, and part dancing to zydeco, trail rides are rooted in the often overlooked history of black cowboys in the American west. And today, these rides also serve to build up the black community.

Follow us down the 10-mile trail to experience this unique culture, and a different image of the iconic cowboy.

Over the Christian Science Monitor’s 108-year history, we’ve built a legacy of high-quality, distinctive journalism because we recognize that news is more than facts. It’s the story of how we are each trying to make our homes, communities, and nations better. What matters are the values and ideals that drive us, not just the who, what, when, and where of the news. Visit us online at: http://www.csmonitor.com/daily

Subscribe to our Youtube channel:    / csmonitor100  

Follow us on Facebook:   / christiansciencemonitor  

Follow us on Twitter:   / csmonitor