Cowboys

Tales of the Wild West #4

by Rick Steber

The men who ride the open range of the far West are known under a variety of vaquero, range rider, mustanger and buckaroo, but the name most commonly known is cowboy. The nature of a cowboy's work demands independence and toughness. He is a man of action; yet the long, lonely hours spent in the saddle provide ample time to develop a unique outlook on life. Simply put, a cowboy's tenet is, 'What cannot be cured is endured.' And endured with cheerfulness and good humor. It is far better to joke about the droughts, windstorms, blizzards, outlaw mustangs and loco cattle than to complain. The cowboy would never have existed without his horse. Like the cowboy, the horse is referred to by an assortment of mustang, bronco, cayuse and, sometimes, jughead, broomtail, nag, hay burner, plug and other even less complimentary epithets. The ancestors of the western horse date back to the animals brought to America by Cortez and the conquistadores. As the Spanish mounts escaped, were lost or stolen, the horse began its phenomenal spread across western North America. The high desert was first settled by daring stockmen who drove in foundation herds, numbering in the thousands. The cattle thrived on the native grasses and when the steers were ready for market, cowboys on horseback drove them to railroad towns in the Midwest. With the invention of barbed wire in 1874 and an influx of homesteaders who claimed waterholes and divided up the range, the heyday of the big outfits and their cowboys passed into history. But as long as there is open sky, rimrock, bunch grass, sagebrush and juniper, cowboys will still ride the range.

Genres: Westerns, History

58 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

About the author

Rick Steber, the author of more than 30 books with sales of more than a million copies, has received national acclaim for his writing. His numerous awards include the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Novel, Western Heritage Award, Benjamin Franklin Award, Mid-America Publishers Award, Oregon Library Association Award, Oregon Literary Arts Award, Independent Publishers Book Award, Indies Award for Excellence, and the USA Best Book Award. Three of his books have been optioned to movie production companies.

In addition to his writing, Rick is an engaging Western personality and has the unique ability to make his characters come alive as he tells a story. He has spoken at national and international conferences and visits schools where he talks to students about the importance of education, developing reading and writing skills, and impressing upon them the value of saving our history for future generations.

Rick has two sons, Seneca and Dusty, and lives near Prineville, Oregon. He writes in a cabin in the timbered foothills of the Ochoco Mountains.

Reviews

[Denise Spicer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, the fourth in the Old Oregon Country Series, like the others, is full of history and brief anecdotes, this time about cowboys, cattle-drives and other early western lifestyle details.

[Christi McKinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the short-story style of this book. It felt like sitting and hearing tales around a campfire.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book pales in comparison to the book on Native Americans, but the stories do ring true as far as the brutality and reality of life as a cowboy.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick entertaining read!