Tuesday, April 2, 2019

The Pastures of Beyond by Dayton O. Hyde

I picked this paperback out of one of the "Little Library" boxes down the street in Bismarck. It has a wonderful painting of a cowboy on a bucking bronc on the cover, so I immediately thought I should pick it up for my dad. I'm glad I did!

This is the true story of a 13-year old from Michigan who goes out to Oregon to help his uncle run a ranch. It captures a rich time in history, beginning in the 1930s, when being an itinerant cowboy was a profession. He describes ranch life, cowboys, and rodeo life with admiration, humor, and clarity. The "yarns" told by both cowboys and Indians are funny and illustrate the humor of an era long gone.

It's not GREAT writing, but it's enjoyable. I could relate to the struggle of riding horses, the culture of the Indians, and the love of outdoors. At the end of the book, he describes how he founded the Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota. This was fascinating to me, since I've been out there. No one was around, but I know that country a little.

This will go in the mail to WHK. And it will give us something new to talk about on our Sunday night calls.

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