The Ranch on the Beaver

'Andy Adams was the most articulate spokesman for the authentic 'Old West' of the cattle kingdom' - Howard Lamar, "The Reader's Encyclopedia of the American West". 'It is my firm conviction that one hundred, three hundred years from now people will read Andy Adams to see what the life of those men who went up the trail from Texas was like' - J.

Frank Dobie, "Southwest Review"."The Ranch on the Beaver" continues the hide-and-hoof Horatio Alger story of "Wells Brothers: The Young Cattle Kings" (also available as a Bison Book).

By 1887 the teenage boys, Joel and Dell, have weathered several seasons as ranchers in northwest Kansas.

With help from drovers on the nearby Western Trail, they have built up a herd.

Looking beyond Beaver Creek, the boys acquire grazing rights in Colorado and Texas.

As others fail, they persevere, learning all aspects of a rapidly changing operation - from maturing beef to managing, shipping, and selling it.

Drawing on firsthand knowledge, the author of "Log of a Cowboy" offers a realistic and spirited story mixing hard work and fun.

Robert R. Dykstra introduces this Bison Books edition of Adams' last work, originally published in 1927. Dykstra, the author of "The Cattle Towns" (also available as a Bison Book), is a professor of history and public policy at State University of New York, Albany.