Ranching With Lords And Commons; Or Twenty Years On The Range. Being A Record Of Actual Facts And Conditions Relating To The Cattle Industry Of The Northwest Territories Of Canada; And Comprising The Extraordinary Story Of The Formation And Career Of A Great Cattle Company.

JOHN R. CRAIG

Other works by JOHN R. CRAIG

Publication: William Briggs, 1903, Toronto

First edition. 8vo. Pictorial cloth, 293 pp., preface, illustrated, plates, portraits. A firsthand account of the formative years of the Canadian cattle-ranching industry. Craig, who came to Alberta in 1881 and became manager of the Oxley Ranch in southern Alberta, witnessed firsthand the transformation of the open range into an increasingly organized cattle industry. He recounts the establishment and operation of the great ranch, cattle raising and drives, harsh winters, frontier travel, ranch life, and the development of southern Alberta, while providing a revealing account of the British aristocratic investors and absentee ownership behind many of the great Canadian ranching enterprises. Also offers descriptions of travel through southern Alberta and the Rocky Mountain foothills, including Fort Macleod, Calgary, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Crowsnest Pass, and Lees Lake. Six Score 25 says, "Craig was an American who became manager of the Oxley Ranch in the province of Alberta during the 1880s. The book recounts a classic example of absentee ownership [by the British lords and commons referred to in the title] and the subsequent mismanagement brought about by conflicts between Craig and the owners. This book and that by L.V. Kelly are the best two books on Canadian ranching. Craig was bitter about his experience and his narrative is one-sided. For the owner's side, see A. Staveley Hill's FROM HOME TO HOME." Former owner's inked name on front fly leaf, white ink on cover is unchipped but white ink on spine panel is moderately chipped. Overall in much better condition than most copies, and is a very good tight copy.

Inventory Number: 30843