My Arizona Adventures is the true first-person account of an authentic American pioneer. When Tom Sanders came to Arizonas central highlands there was nothing there; there were no roads, no towns, no law, and no protection from marauding Indians. There was nothing there but opportunities for the strong, resolute and lucky.The year was 1863, Arizona had just become a separate Territory and its vast central interior was the last unknown area of the United States. That change...

A Ride To Remember is a story to keep, from a time when horses carried us over mountain trails, there was no chopper, no I-phone, no GPS, no plastic wrap, but we had everything we needed. It was too good to be true. We were asked to come along on a wonderful horseback trip in the Rocky Mountains in 1947. We always intended to write about our adventure, now two of us who are left are doing just that. From the vantage point of more than 6 decades, we relive our journey through "A Ride To Rem...

This book is a celebration of life. Its astonishing view is from the perspective of someone living a simple, isolated life in the Rocky Mountains as a mountain man. Sylvan Ambrose Hart was born in the Oklahoma Territory in 1906. In the 1930's, while still a young man, he walked into the Rocky Mountains and designed a unique life for himself in the wilds - hunting, fishing, trapping, panning gold, crafting his own tools, weapons, shelter, and clothes. For almost fifty years he lived the lif...

Despite being neighbouring provinces with long ranching histories, British Columbia and Alberta saw their ranching techniques develop quite differently. As most ranching styles were based on one of the two dominant styles in use south of the border, BC ranchers tended to adopt the California style whereas Alberta took its lead from Texas. But the different practices actually go back much further. Cattle cultures in southwestern Spain, sub-Saharan Africa and the British highlands all shaped...

Del Burk farmed, ranched and guided big-game hunters in some of the richest wild-life areas of Canada.  The biography covers a recent patch of history, but a patch already gone.  The farm equipment he knew now belong in museums, and the ranching practices of the fifties and sixties have largely simply disappeared.  Where Del's big-game guiding experiences took him over trails meant only for horses, there are now paved roads or the rutted paths of ATVs.   Del's s...

Getting three trucks and two horses stuck in the mud on "a good road" into BC's wild, remote interior was just the start of Bruce Watt's Chilcotin adventures—and it was his honeymoon, too. The wildlife, landscape and quirky, down-to-earth people captivated Bruce, and despite the hard work and challenging conditions, the Watts put down roots, raising a family, alongside herds of cattle and horses.A consummate storyteller, Bruce tells it like it was—and perhaps still is for many peop...

Remarkable cattle drives, famous ranches and legendary characters are at the heart of Ken Mather's account of the early days of ranching in British Columbia. These are stories about drovers, ranchers, cowboys and "mud pups" (the remittance men of the ranching industry). You'll meet such people asthe flamboyant Harper brothers, drovers who went on to become the biggest landowners in BC, with interests in the Harper, Perry, Hat Creek and famous Gang ranchesJohnny Wils...

Bronc Busters and Hay Sloops tells the story of ranching in the West from the beginning of the Great War until 1960. Cowboy soldiers, bronc busters, First Nations, upper-crust Englishmen and the strong, capable women of ranching country . . . theirs are the stories told in this book. Some of these characters are larger than life, such as:Joe Coutlee, cow boss of the Douglas Lake Ranch, whose booming voice gave him the nickname “Roaring Bill”;Grover Hance, w...

74 Short Stories of Idaho's Mountain MenThey were hunters, trappers, bear fighters, Indian killers who lived off the land and survived annual rendezvous. The sun, the wind, the harsh winter climate tanned and dried and leathered their faces until those without beards (and there were a few) had to roll up their sleeves to bare white arms as proof of their Caucasian identity.

These true stories of people who work and live in the spectacular mountain wilderness of Alberta and British Columbia are filled with humour, keen observations about man and nature, and memorable human and animal characters. Old-time cowboys Johnny and Cal offer their no-nonsense brand of homespun wisdom. Wasp, the talented saddle horse, teaches his rider more than just horsemanship. From life-and-death drama to peaceful meditations, these tales capture the danger and beauty of the mountai...

"Vividly rendered disasters and close calls" fill this collection of true adventures. . . . as well as "valuable lessons about character, loyalty and courage" ( Publishers Weekly).Alaska is like no other state and few countries; men experience greater risk in her arms. This one-of-a-kind anthology captures the spine tingling adventures of daring men and women who venture into Alaska's vast wilderness and look death in the eye. Danger Stalks the Land

Dave Vander Meer was just eighteen years old when he set out on his own to explore the northern wilderness of Ontario. Winter would start in just a week, and there was a camp to build, traps to set, and food and furs to collect. To survive, he needed to call upon all his knowledge because the closest point of civilization was more than twenty miles away. Now, years later, he still looks back upon his time as a teenager in the woods with wonder. He had the chance to walk the trails and padd...