Ellen's comments:
I’ve been reading lots of mysteries, stories of the Holocaust, and accounts of conflicts in the Middle East, so I thought it was time to kick back and read a Western. I picked a winner.
In 1949, Jack Schaefer’s Shane was published and was soon made into what is arguably the best Western movie of all time. Monte Walsh follows in the tradition.
A teenager, Monte Walsh runs from an abusive home situation. With the help of a few kind-hearted souls (and a few not so kind-hearted) Monte makes his way to Red Fork Ranch and eventually manages to hire on to a trail crew moving longhorns to market. With experience, he develops into a top-notch itinerant trailrider. A few years in, he meets Chet Rollins and the two form a deep friendship as well as a matchless working partnership. If there is anywhere a “horse that can’t be rode,” Chet will rope it, and Monte, observing “Shucks, it’s a horse, ain’t it?” will not only ride it, but shape it into a dependable cowpony.
When an Eastern syndicate buys up land and hires Cal Brennan, an experienced trail boss, as manager, Cal forms his ranch crew from top trail riders that he has worked with, including Monte and Chet. Thus begins the Slash Y (/Y) era. This tightly knit crew rides herd and copes with drought, blizzard, range fire, rustlers, bar brawls (most of which they start!)—whatever comes along.
As the range begins to be fenced, English beef cattle replace longhorns, and the crew ages, Chet marries (and what a wedding celebration!) and becomes a businessman and civic leader. Monte, however, is a cowboy. Period. To the end. The bitter end.
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