A Thousand Texas Longhorns

by Johnny D. Boggs

Multiple award-winning author Johnny D. Boggs, one of the most respected and popular writers of Western fiction, brings to life the harsh reality of cattle drives in a powerful, trailblazing adventure inspired by the harrowing true story of the1866 cattle drive from Texas to Montana--and the legendary man who dared the impossible...

The Civil War is over. The future of the American West is up for grabs. Any man crazy enough to lead a herd of Texas longhorns to the north stands to make a fortune--and make history. That man would be Nelson Story. A bold entrepreneur and miner, he knows a golden opportunity when he sees one. But it won't be easy. Cowboys and bandits have guns, farmers have sick livestock, and the Army's have their own reasons to stop the drive. Even worse, Story's top hand is an ornery Confederate veteran who used to be his enemy. But all that is nothing compared to the punishing weather, the deadly stampedes--and the bloodthirsty wrath of the Sioux...

This is the incredible saga of a man named Story. A true legend of the Old West. And the ever-beating heart of the American Dream.

Genres: Westerns, Historical Fiction

500 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 27, 2020

About the author

Johnny D. Boggs is a Spur- and Wrangler Award-winning author of the American West and frontier. Born in 1962, Boggs grew up on a farm near Timmonsville, South Carolina, around the old stamping grounds of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion (chronicled in his frontier novel The Despoilers). He knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa Smith; son, Jack Smith Boggs; and basset hound, June.

Reviews

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Johnny Bogg's A Thousand Texas Longhorns (Pinnacle 2020), Nelson Story, sometimes entrepreneur, sometimes miner, always a risk-taker, decides that a lot of money can be made moving Texas longhorns north. He's warned of the difficulties, challenges, and impossibility of this task but all that only makes him more determined to do it. With the help of former enemy, Mason Boone, who's run out of options in his own life, they set out to prove everyone wrong.

Johnny Boggs has a reputation for gritty, realistic stories of the Old West and in this one, he doesn't disappoint. There is so much late 1800's atmosphere in this story, you could drown in it. I say that as a compliment. The characters are authentic. The story's day-to-day activities are so believable, I almost got bored reading about them. Life was boring back then. To tell the story accurately, Boggs includes a lot of subplots, all leading eventually to the main plot, like tributaries that dump into the main river. They’re all interesting but don’t expect a focused story with one goal, at least not for a while.

Overall, this is a good story with strong writing and unique characters that tell what happened in the old west.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't quite realize until I had bought this book that it was the same story as Lonesome Dove, and this was after I had read Lonesome Dove a few months before. Would I have liked this one more if I hadn't read Lonesome Dove first? Probably, because for everything Lonesome Dove excels at, A Thousand Texas Longhorns is just ok at.

My biggest problem with the book is that the narrative is way too fragmented and each section of the narrative is too brief. It feels like reading a cliff notes version of the book. Especially towards the end where it feels like Boggs got tired with the story and decided to just do a number of time skips to wrap everything up quickly. Do we find out what happens to Boone? The character the book opened with? No, story just gets to Virginia City and the story ends. No resolution for any of the other characters. It felt very anticlimactic.

Also I have to be honest, some of the deaths towards the end of the book felt cheap and crammed in there just to create some drama that didn't feel earned. It was hard to get attached to any of the characters in the book because so little time is spent building them up and giving them room to breathe. This was what Lonesome Dove did so well and why that book is so incredibly good.

The other problem with the book is that Story is just not that interesting of a character. He is very one note. He's just an angry asshole and that's about it. For 450 pages its just him being a terse asshole with very little depth.

Now that all my whining is done, do I regret reading the book? No, because it was good for what it was. I did generally enjoy reading the book in spite of its flaws. Its hard to screw up a western and for the most part Boggs does a good job with getting the dialogue right as well as the struggles of life during that era and the risks and dangers of travelling on trails with a herd of cattle.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 3 out of 5]

True story: In 1866 a cranky western entrepreneur named Nelson Story bought a thousand head of cattle in Texas and drove them 1,800 miles to Montana and built a ranch there, selling cows to mining camps and towns in the state for ten times what he paid in Texas. His drive was notable for the sheer number of cattle, its lengthy path through hostile Indian territory and bandit-riddled Kansas, and its stubborn dealings with the US military. It served as inspiration for Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove."

Boggs' account here in "A Thousand Texas Longhorns" (2021 Spur Award winner) is a scattered affair that works, dropping us into short chapters with wide-ranging characters out west without much setup, jumping adventure to adventure between Nelson Story himself, his wife left behind in Montana with a newborn, his hard-luck hired hand Mason Boone, the Civil War vets who join his band later, and two women posing as men to dodge the law.

For those who read Michael Punke's nonfiction "Ridgeline," the two books' narratives cross paths when Story's herd passes by Fort Kearny.

Verdict: A fun story, quite lengthy but easy, interesting characters and pacing. A good read.

Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[Thomas Clagett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a cliché to call a Western novel a rip-snortin’ adventure, but the truth is that A THOUSAND TEXAS LONGHORNS by Johnny D. Boggs is as rip-snorting as they come. Based on the true exploits of Nelson Story, among other things one of the toughest and orneriest trail bosses that ever lived (he makes John Wayne’s Thomas Dunson in RED RIVER look almost kind-hearted), this tale of his cattle drive from Texas to Montana that took place shortly after the Civil War has so much dust, stench, danger and hard riding you might well taste the grit in your mouth and feel your muscles ache while reading.

A record eight-time Spur Award winning and Owen Wister Award winning author, Boggs has written many an ambitious novel in his career, including RETURN TO RED RIVER, a splendid sequel to Borden Chase’s classic tale, and NORTHFIELD, a fascinating retelling of the Northfield bank robbery by the James-Younger gang. In this novel, Boggs’s attention to detail and research are as sharp as ever as he reveals some of the best and some of the nastiest characters—many real and others invented—to cross the printed page.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a well written western. It includes real people performing real tasks in a true to the time background. You will find all of that in A THOUSAND TEXAS LONGHORNS.

Nelson Story is looking for an adventure, but one that will make him some money. He's heard talk that driving Texas longhorns north can make a man a lot of money. He fails to figure out there is a reason not many fools make that trip. But, make it he will. Hiring a trail boss who used to fight against him in the Civil War and an assorted crew of rough around the edges...and the middles...cowboys is only the first of many challenges Nelson will wade through before he even hits the trail. Once on the trail, well if there is a way to make this drive harder, he will find it.

Johnny D Boggs has written of the late 1800's Texas west with so much detail, you can smell the herd and taste the dust as you follow them on the trail. The characters are real, swearing and spitting included. He makes an enjoyable read a great experience too.

[Rachel Santino · Rating 4 out of 5]

My work lately has included some reading on raising cattle and cattle drives. The drive is an adventure but very intense for the cowboys. Hot and dusty, river crossings, Indians, storms, and sometimes fox fire. Here’s one of my favorite parts from Johnny Boggs’s A THOUSAND TEXAS LONGHORNS (a book I read on my downtime):
•
Circling the herd, Boone saw it first. A blue flame rose from the tips of the horns on a dark-colored steer, as if someone had doused coal oil on the sharp points and lighted a match. Then he saw another glowing light. The stink of sulfur intensified. Blue light flowed across the herd, and Boone leaned back when he saw the same glimmering on the ears of his gelding. His mouth turned dry.
•
A great story with a nod to everyone’s favorite, LONESOME DOVE. A beefy book with a great cover. I could not pass it up, and I recommend you read it.

[Joe Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a marvelously written story based on a historical cattle drive. The story is more than a cattle drive. There is a multiple cast of characters, a mix of actual and fictional, and many receive nearly as much or more attention than the principle character of Nelson Story. I liked how the author moved the story between the characters and enjoyed thinking how he would bring them together. I also enjoyed that the story wasn’t just about the cattle drive, but also included the story of Nelson’s wife who was waiting for him to return. I found all the characters believable and didn’t want to leave them.

This is a story that captures the spirit of the people who endured much to settle and make a life in the west.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished " A Thousand Texas Longhorns" last night. I actually was up until 0130 am reading. I can easily say it was the best story, not just cattle drive story, that I've read since " Lonesome , Dove". It was my first book by Mr. Boggs and I am completely hooked. I know a good bit of the characters were real people but the way he brought them to life was amazing! He showed how Nelson was a very hard man but had a good heart despite his flaws. And showing how hard it was for Molly and Constance to survive in a man's world was incredible. And on top of it all, all of the dangers associated with a trail drive! It was just wow!!
Thank you writing that book and I can't wait to read more.

[Sequoyah Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thousand Texas Longhorns, one of the few books with the honor of making me cry.
Nelson Story can be taken as heartless, but he has just enough of one not to let you give up on him. The fact that he leaves a pregnant wife behind while he’s off on the trail adds an interesting element that most trail drive stories don’t have.
Boggs takes a little while getting this cattle drive off the ground, but he does so in a way that makes you have to keep reading. He ties multiple plot lines together but makes them all tie in a way that is smooth.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. A book has not left me feeling like this in a while.

It is a little hard to get into, but once you do it is so hard to put down. The characters, the story, the setting is absolutely magical. This book made me cry and I haven’t cried at a book in a long time.

Could not put this book down and I’m sad it ended. I wish it was a series because, as I said, wow. Fantastic writing.

My best advice would be to be to look up where they are in the story on a map, it helps to visualize where they are more. Really puts things into perspective.

[Jane Botkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Great storylines woven together with diverse characters. Johnny D. Boggs' knowledge of western cattle drives has only increased since he wrote his first Texas odyssey years ago. Places, names, dives into daily frontier minutiae help make this book enjoyably authentic. Best of all, Boggs' humor asserts itself on almost every page, reminiscent of Larry McMurtry's best, Lonesome Dove. On a mission now to read all Boggs' novels!

[Ronald Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real

The author spent some time researching this semi-true story and told it as real as possible. His use of historical characters interacting with fictional people is handled seamlessly. Johnny D. Boggs demonstrates in A Thousand Texas Longhorns why he is considered one of the best western writers around.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Thousand Texas Longhorns is gritty as they come, full of dirt, stench and yes, longhorns. The Civil War has just ended and a gold miner decides to invest in bringing edible cattle and some breeding stock north from Texas. He leaves his pregnant wife in Montana and rides south with the motliest of motley crew. These good folks include, by the time they're under way, a Mexican trail cook, a few shaggy cowhands, a pair of women disguised as men, one of whom at least is wanted for murder, a kid who predictably is there to... I won't say it, but lack of experience tells.
This is a fictionalised version of a real event and as such we meet many typical side characters and see many towns as they would have been. Many dangers, some of which we can now barely imagine. And months and months of hard riding. Plus the dirt, violence, and the stench.
Enjoy.
I read an ARC from Edelweiss and Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The language was a little too modern at times. I was reminded of William Johnstone writing. It is a good idea of a cattle drive and the people who paid the price. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Thousand Texas Longhorns is the first book I have read by Johnny D. Boggs. I thought it was a great introduction. I am giving it four stars. I look forward to more by him and recommend this one for those who like to read Westerns.

[Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially it was hard to remember all the names and situations of the various characters in this novel. It finally all comes together later in the book and the ending was the reason I gave it 5 stars. As usual Mr. Boggs did not disappoint and I have enjoyed all of his books that I have read.

[Braden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun book, and interesting mix between fact and fiction. Definitely on the longer side for a modern western but was worth it and didn’t feel like it was full of filler or anything like that. Overall, really fun book.

[Ron Nurmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-told story of the first cattle drive from Texas to Montana. It is a novel based on real events. Boggs writes very well and is a good story teller.

[Sandi Gerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read westerns but I’m really glad I read this one. The story is wonderful and the characters are well developed and humanize the story which is based on fact.

[John Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing story. Hard to put down. Highly recommend.

[Laura Jean]

This was really good. It reminded me of Lonesome Dove. Similar kind of story with additional stuff thrown in. Quite a good read.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read.

[Elaine Mayes]

I guess I'm just not in a mood for a Western. . .

[Bob Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the book its a mix of history and fiction about cattle drive starting in Texas and ending in Montana. With bandits, cowboys, wranglers, and Indians.