Frontier Cattle Ranching in the Land and Times of Charlie Russell
A re-examination of the free-range cattle ranching era in Montana, Southern Alberta, and Southern Saskatchewan.
Description
In Frontier Cattle Ranching in the Land and Times of Charlie Russell, Warren Elofson debunks the myth of the American "wild west" and the Canadian "mild west" by demonstrating that cattlemen on both sides of the forty-ninth parallel shared a common experience. Focusing on Montana, Southern Alberta, Southern Saskatchewan, and the well-known figure of Charlie Russell - an artist and storyteller from that era who spent time on both sides of the border - Elofson examines the lives of cowboys and ranch owners, looking closely at the prevalence of drunkenness, prostitution, gunplay, rustling, and vigilante justice in both Canada and the United States.
Reviews
"An engaging and sprightly comparison of the Alberta/Assiniboia and Montana ranching experience from 1880 to 1920." Brian W. Dippie, Department of History, University of Victoria
"Elofson provides wonderful stories, which fascinate the reader ... the book is rich in details about individual settlers and their social dynamics, facts which bring the West and its people to life." University of Toronto Quarterly