Forty Years' Gatherin's

by Spike Van Cleve

His horse gear, a bedroll and a warbag containing a change or two of clothes - these worldly goods were about all the old-time ranch hand could call his own. They were prized possessions, though, and together were usually referred to as "my forty year' gatherins." The stories in this book are Spike Van Cleve's forty years' gatherins - cherished memories of rugged, honest living in the clean air and mountainous rangeland near Big Timber, Montana. Spike was born, raised and lived until he died in this land he called "the prettiest country God ever made . . .heaven can't be any better than this." There, he and his family-like his Dad and Granddad before him-ran the Van Cleve ranch, now a 20,000 acre expanse under the Crazy Mountains in south central Montana. Spike Van Cleve was a natural born storyteller who was educated at Harvard but received his "learning" on the Montana range riding his horses and doing an honest day's work. In this collection of true stories about the land, the people, the horses and the good old times, Spike shifts like the wind, as in his touching story of "Cody and Terry," when the fatal crack of Spike's rifle signals the merciful end to a close partnership between a tearful cowboy and his favorite work horses. This sensitive, poetic story earned Spike Van Cleve a Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

301 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1977

Reviews

[Brian Peterson]

Old Spike knew how to spin a yarn. This is a great relaxing read. A cowboys real life as a horse rancher before the trappings of today’s ‘industry’. Entertaining, the writer has a way of bringing you right into the story. If your mind goes to the way things used to be, you too, will be drawn right in.

[Kristy Sipe]

Loved reading this book. Spike is a great story teller and you can picture everything you read as if your there. Loved reading about Big Timber in the early days. If you like MT history you will love this book.

[Anne]

While I didn't grow up around horses or work with horses, I still couldn't help but appreciate this book. You can tell Spike Van Cleve truly loves horses and his life. I didn't expect to cry while I read the book, but I did, and unashamed that I did.