In the first work, Hank the Cowdog finds himself drawn into a dangerous situation involving his sister Maggie and a terrible bully named Rambo; and in the second work, Hank and his human friends, Little Alfred and Slim Chance, mind the ranch for a day.
For more than a hundred years, American cowboys have made their living through the skilled use of horse and rope. Whole libraries have been devoted to the horse, but no one, until now, has written a thorough study of the origins and evolution of ranch roping--which differs from arena roping as practiced by rodeo cowboys. Author/cowboy John Erickson studies ranch roping from every angle: its origins in the Old World; old-time loops and throws; the influence of modern team roping; and the endless debate between those cowboys who rope 'hard and fast' and those who 'dally.' Mixing scholarship with his working-cowboy's knowledge of the subject, Erickson tells stories of cowboys who could not resist fitting their loops on "things that ort not to be roped," such as elk, deer, badgers, bears, and bobcats. He tells of jackrabbit roping contests, and of cowboys who roped mice, geese, hogs, wives, or a runaway milk wagon. Anyone who has ever "built a loop" or even thought about it will find this book hard to put down.
A collection of articles and essays by John R. Erickson, which have been published in ""Texas Highways"", ""Oklahoma Today"", ""The Dallas Morning News"" and more. Many of the pieces are anecdotal, based on Erickson's experiences and observations on ranches. Others are more historical.
Here under one cover are the collected writings of John R. Erickson about characters who have entered his life on the High Plains country of the Texas Panhandle. Erickson writes with authority about ranching and cowboying in the modern era, always with an eye for the humor of everyday incidents. Some of his friends are widely known, such as artist Ace Reid and noted fiddle player Frankie McWhorter. Others are cowboys who work the big ranches between the Canadian and Beaver rivers. They share the stage with some of Erickson's four-legged friends: the Phantom Cow, Texie, the Incredible Burping Dog, an Arabian horse called Dandy, Callie the cat, and Eddy the raccoon.
The American cowboy is a mythical character who refuses to die, says author John R. Erickson. On the one hand he is a common man: a laborer, a hired hand who works for wages. Yet in his lonely struggle against nature and animal cunning, he becomes larger than life. Who is this cowboy? Where did he come from and where is he today? Erickson addresses these questions based on firsthand observation and experience in Texas and Oklahoma. And in the process of describing and defining the modern working cowboy - his work, his tools and equipment, his horse, his roping technique, his style of dress, his relationships with his wife and his employer - Erickson gives a thorough description of modern ranching, the economic milieu in which the cowboy operates. The first edition of this book was published in 1981. For this second edition Erickson has thoroughly revised and expanded the book to discuss recent developments in cowboy culture, making The Modern Cowboy the most up-to-date source on cowboy and ranch life today.
Prairie Gothic is full of Texas lore. Erickson tells the story of people in the context of a specific place. This place, instrumental in shaping their lives, is the flatland prairie of northwestern Texas that has gone by various names (High Plains, South Plains, Staked Plains, and Llano Estacado), as well as the rugged country on its eastern boundary, often referred to as the ""caprock canyonlands."" One branch of Erickson's family arrived in Texas in 1858, settling in Parker County, west of Weatherford. Another branch, sturdy Quaker farmers from Ohio, helped establish the first Anglo settlement on the Llano Estacado in 1881, near present-day Lubbock. Erickson's family interacts with significant historical figures, such as Cynthia Ann Parker, and includes members of the Estacado Quaker colony. There is the story of Martha Sherman, who died at the hands of the Comanche, and the tale of the notorious outlaw Tom Ross. ""Prairie Gothic"" also includes Erickson's encounters with famous Texas writers, such as John Graves and J. Evetts Haley. Burrowing deep into his West Texas roots, Erickson discovered people of substance and strong character, made that way in part by the challenges they faced in a harsh environment. He has created a fascinating blend of family and regional history. Excerpts from journals, letters, and other original sources enrich the narrative.
The isolated Canadian River in the Texas Panhandle stretched before John Erickson and Bill Ellzey as they began a journey through time and what the locals call “the valley.” They went on horseback, as they might have travelled it a century before. Everywhere they went they talked, worked, and swapped stories with the people of the valley, piecing together a picture of what life has been like there for a hundred years. Through Time and the Valley is their story of the river—its history, its lore, its colourful characters, the comedies and tragedies that valley people have spun yarns about for generations.Rancher Erickson is an insider who knows his territory and has the gifts to tell about it. A wry and delightful humourist, he tickles our funny bone while touching our feelings. Outlaws, frontier wives, Indian warriors, cowboys, craftsmen, dance-hall girls, moonshiners, inventors, big ranchers, small ranchers–all are part of the Canadian River country heritage that gives this book its vitality.
The popular Hank the Cowdog series is based on the humorous antics of the canine Head of Ranch Security. In this first book, Hank and his little buddy, Drover, set out to solve a series of baffling murders on the ranch. Is Hank a suspect? An Outlaw? Can he clear his good name?
The second book in the series opens with Hank defending the ranch against the attack of a Silver Monster Bird. Later he is stricken with the dreaded disease, Eye-Crosserosis. Hank visits the cave of a witchy little owl named Madame Moonshine. On the audio version, Madame Moonshine sings the song "I Am a Witch."
Hank's third adventure opens with Hank in trouble again, so he decides to make a visit to town to see his sister. Sounds innocent enough, but then Hank takes his nieces and nephews on a garbage patrol and gets captured by the dog catcher. Will he find a way out?
Hank faces a baffling new mystery which begins with the death of a calf on the ranch. Hank goes on a very dangerous mission to spy on the coyote village and arrest the murderer. A pack of wild dogs also complicates the plot. It takes all of Hank's deductive powers to solve this one
Hank's thoughts turn to romance. He decides that he has been working too hard and needs a vacation. Hank goes to visit his true love, Miss Beulah the Collie, and encounters all kinds of challenging situations on the way. Will his intuition and investigating powers be enough?
Who's killing the ranch's chickens? What's Ranch Security going to do about it? These are the critical questions in Hank's sixth adventure. A fiendish murderer is loose on the ranch. Never has Hank followed so many clues or interrogated more suspects. Every character in the book turns out to be a suspect--including Hank himself.
