LZ Cowboy: A Cowboy's Journal 1979-1981

by John R. Erickson, Kris Erickson (Photographer)

This contemporary "log of a cowboy," to borrow a term from Andy Adams, reveals the daily life of a cowboy during the years 1979-1981. "I came up one steer short, 158 instead of 159. I rode through them again and got another count, the same: 158. So I went back to the junkyard. This time, l walked it afoot, checking out every hiding place. I drove the steers out into the open. Still one short. Then I happened to look around and saw a steer peeking out over the steering wheel of one of the wrecked cars. He was inside the car and appeared ready to drive off." Cowboying on the LZ Ranch in the Texas Panhandle did have its lighter moments. In fact, humor was sometimes all that kept John Erickson and the Ellzey family going as they struggled through a depressed cattle market, drought, sickness, injuries, and West Texas weather:. "The temperature at noon was down to five degrees and the chill factor was minus thirty-seven. That is killing cold. It wasn't a fit day to be out, so naturally we went out to feed cattle. I wore my wool long johns, with six layers of clothes above the waist and three below. My outer shell was my big cowhide coat. We drove through the steers on wheat pasture in the morning. There really wasn't much we could do but Lawrence can't stand to sit around in a nice warm house while his cattle are out there suffering. If we couldn't make them comfortable, at least we could suffer with them."

181 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country, has sold more than 7.6 million copies, is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."

Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, and when Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, he self-published 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and they sold out in 6 weeks.

When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, the Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many libraries' children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-fans.

Erickson was born in Midland, Texas, but by the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas, where he and his wife live today on their working cattle ranch. They have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 5-star book for anyone interested in the day-to-day of cowboying on a modern ranch. Writer John Erickson (best known for his humorous not-just-for-children's series "Hank the Cowdog") spent two years as a hand on the Ellzey spread in the north Texas Panhandle in 1979-1981 and kept this journal of his working days there. The entries give accounts of moving cattle between pastures, doctoring for pink eye and bloat, roundups, winter feeding, calving and putting out prairie fires - all outdoor work in weather that is too often wet, bitterly cold, or fiercely hot.

The cowboy interest in roping and horses gets extensive treatment. The author and has friend Tom Ellzey often work together, and the measure of their days is often taken in tallies of successful and unsuccessful attempts to rope usually uncooperative cattle. We also get to know their horses - Calipso, Happy, Casey, Popeye, Deuce - and the peculiar personality of each. After a season of practice together, the two men enter a rangeland team-roping contest, where they hope to find out how good they really are.

What comes across most strongly in the book is the physically punishing work of cowboying. Both men sustain injuries and have some near-fatal on-the-job accidents. In one instance, the author's frightened horse gets her rider and herself tangled in electric fence wire. Meanwhile, the ranch teeters at the edge of financial failure as cattle prices drop and interest rates soar up to 20%. (In one brief reminder of the world beyond the ranch, Erickson makes note of the American hostages in Iran.)

Not originally written for publication, the book stands up well as a description of real cowboying. It's a rare day when the weather is tolerable and things go smoothly. A reader can wonder why anyone does this work at all, let alone account for the romantic hold it has on the imagination of people who get no closer to cattle than the hamburger they order in the drive-thru. But the pride taken in work done well and difficulties overcome - plus the satisfaction of a well-thrown rope - seems to make up for the rest. This book demonstrates that well. There are also numerous photographs by the author's wife Kris.

Other recommended reading: Linda Hasselstrom's day-by-day journal of ranching in South Dakota, "Windbreak" and Montana rancher Dan Aadland's "Sketches of the Ranch."

[Nathan Ellzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic book. Erickson is quite the gifted story teller. Having been there for many of these adventures myself, it is such a treat to be taken back to my early teen years. This may very well be my favorite of Erickson's many books!