Novel, Historical Fiction

Ranchers--Fiction; Mormon pioneers--Fiction; Frontier and pioneer life--Fiction; Utah--Fiction

Unsavory characters, shootouts, and a dead friend can change a man. Jim Danner knows, and he’s ready for a new life. Jim travels to western Colorado, where he lands a riding job with an amiable rancher who introduces him to Hereford cattle, a new breed that would eventually dominate cattle ranching in the West. Negotiating to take most of his pay in weaned heifer calves each fall, Jim acquires the substantial beginnings of his own herd. He’s then off to find range for a cattle ranch. In the fall of 1879, Jim and his new bride become the first settlers of Spanish Valley, located in the wild and wooly region of eastern Utah Territory. Soon, two Mormon families join them in the valley. Taming the land, however, comes at a price as the settlers battle outlaws, prejudices, stampedes, wolves, and bitter winters in this stirring tale of perseverance and faith. [from publisher's website]

BX 8688.3 .W121sp 2006