Cattle Ranching in the Montana Territories

A Story of the West

by Susan Spence

A Story of the West takes place during the open range cattle ranching era of the 1880s. The remote prairie of the arid Western United States was considered desert until it was realized the grasslands were actually highly productive. It was the beginning of the ranching industry that continues today.

Matt Daly and his father drove a herd of longhorns from Texas to Montana as the start of their herd. They, like many others, were determined to make a living on the lawless frontier. Life was hard, but fulfilling, as there was money to be made selling beef to the exploding population back east.

When the train came through, it made life easier and it also brought more people. Lavina Lavold rode out with her family seeking adventure, which she found when she met and fell in love with Matt.

Conflicts were common as there were rustlers who wanted their cattle and other ranchers who wanted the land they had claimed as their own. It didn't matter that the vast prairie still belonged to the federal government.

Susan Spence has always been intrigued with life in the west during the 1880s. She researched historical accounts and first person narratives as she prepared to write A Story of the West. A lifelong resident of the West, she currently lives in Montana on an old sheepshearing station.