The West That Was

by John E. Eggen

Much of early Americana has been destroyed and lost forever. But occasionally, and almost miraculously, some parts of its survive. So it is with the photographs in this book. Saved from an ignominious end in the city dump, they chronicle and enliven the cowboy's life on the range. The result is a beautiful volume of real-life images of western cattlemen. These unretouched photographs taken from the original 5" x 7" negatives give an unprecedented look at life on the ranch and trail. We are presented with real people seen on the job. We see the costumes, the work, the everyday necessities of the range. And as the cowboys stare back at the camera or work with one another, the reader will get the sense of knowing them and their way of living. This is an important volume of history that every student of the Old West will cherish.

184 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Eggen's book is a fascinating 'time travel' look back at Wild West cowboys. The hundreds of photographs found in the book date from the late 1880s and depict working cowboys in Colorado. They accurately capture the true life and times of cowboys as they round up steers, train horses, chow down around the campfire, etc. Taken together, they supply a rare, definitely non-Hollywood glimpse of how life really was for hardworking cowpokes 'way back when.'

Mike O. / Marathon County Public Library
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