The Log of a Cowboy by Andy Adams
From a reference in the "westerns" thread I looked up and read this book online (found it at Gutenberg.org, a really great resource for out-of-print/no longer copyrighted literature). It's about driving 3,000 head of cattle from Brownsville, Texas to Montana, and is peppered with events about encounters with indians, rustlers, rangers, buffalo, and con men along the trail. As I read it I could see how it could easily be the source for every show about trailherding cowboys.
Although fiction it reads like non-fiction, since it was based on the author's real-life experiences as a cowboy. I did not know that Ogallala was considered the "Gomorrah" of the West, or that cowboys on the trail had about a dozen horses each assigned to them, with some preferred for river crossings and others for night watch duty.
Although not exactly PC and with some stilted dialog, it nevertheless conveys an authenticity that made it a compelling read. I enjoyed it.
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