Owyhee, the Life of a Northern Desert

by Earl Junior Larrison, Don Fritts (Illustrator)

From the back flap of the dust jacket: “This is the desert of Owyhee – monotonous, mysterious, and harsh. Yet, if you were to examine the desert closely, you would find hardly a square yard of its surface which was not crisscrossed with tracks of animals large and small. The sagebrush is alive with scurrying life at night; small birds flit through the desert scrub by day. Yes, the desert is far from ‘deserted.’ And here the many facets of the desert scene are interpreted by the author, in light of years of study of the patterns of natural life in the area.”

357 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Shem Ishler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d been wondering about Owyhee County lately. I haven’t been out there since I ran into “Mud Flat Man” back in aught-nine. I was looking at a map when in Elko and was considering how nice it would be to have a lil outing out yonder Owyhee way. Well, I was killing a bit of time in the Boise library when I passed not one, but two copies of Owyhee - The Life Of A Northern Desert. I figured if that’s not a sign I’m supposed to read that book, I don’t know what is. As I perused the foreword and the first chapter I knew this book might have a bit of dust on it, but it’s a quality read nonetheless. The book is written in 1957 by a type of fella that modern man and modern scientist alike probably wouldn’t approve of nor understand. Earl Larrison is a mammalogist and animal ecologist whom was lucky enough to land a position at the University of Idaho that allowed him to spend quite a bit of time in the wilds of Idaho investigating the wildlife you can tell he loved so much. While the book is stuffed with facts about the desert, desert life and the animals that call the desert home, it reads much more like an entertaining fictional tale. You’ll following along with Earl, Doc and Wyomin as they gather scientific specimens in the desert and have conversations about the past, present and future of Owyhee County and the folks, livestock and critters that call that empty but beautiful and sparse country home. You may learn a thing or two and maybe some of the info is quite important if you ever find yourself alone and / or stuck in a place like the Owyhee. After finishing up this book, I definitely would like to get back out to Owyhee County. Even if I don’t get to make the journey, I feel like I’ve already been journeying out there with Earl, Doc and Wyomin.