Out West: Stories of the American Frontier

This collection of twenty short stories offers a view of life on the frontier by portraying incidents in the ordinary, yet extraordinary lives of a variety of people who heeded the siren call of the American West. The reader will meet ranchers and cowboys, lawmen and outlaws, merchants and farmers, teachers and preachers, and others who trekked west in hopes of improving their lot in life. Many followed the dream of a better future, others sought to escape a troublesome past, and some were simply lured by a desire for independence or adventure. Not all are heroes; no magical transformation occurred when "regular folks" packed their belongings and pointed themselves west. Yet, somehow, the unexpectedly inhospitable nature of the western lands often prompted newcomers to rise to the challenge of life on the frontier. Although the characters in the book are fictional, many aspects of their stories are historically accurate, including the combination of determination, sacrifice and wry humor which enabled many to face and often overcome circumstances we would likely view as insurmountable.