The Trail Driver

This is the story of the cattle drive. From Texas they came, where cattle had little value except for their hides, to Kansas and the railroad where each head was worth about twenty dollars. So a herd of 3000 was worth upwards of sixty thousand dollars--quite a sum back then, and even yet today. In this novel Zane Grey relates to the reader just what it was like for a group of cow punchers to drive a herd up the Chisolm Trail--the dangers, the rivers, the storms, the stampedes, the Indians. Yet, this is also the personal story of love, commitment, honesty, fortitude, and how each of us must face up to these obstacles. The character, Pan Handle Smith, shows up in this one--one of Zane Grey's great heros--to help deliver the cattle and use his guns. If you have ever seen the old TV show, Rawhide, this novels tells it like it really was. Of course, there is the romantic element, without which it would not be Zane Grey. A solid novel, well worth reading more than once.