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Trail Drive #9
The Oregon Trail
They Risked Their Lives To Bring Cattle to Missouri. Now They Faced A Journey Twics As Dangerous...
The only riches Texans had left after the Civil War were five million
maverick longhorns and the brains, brawn and boldness to drive them
north to where the money was. Now, Ralph Compton brings this violent and magnificent time to life in an extraordinary epic series based on the history-making trail drives.
The Oregon Trail
Lou Spencer, Dill Summer, and their fourteen Texas cowboys briught a herd up to Independence, Missouri, and sold half to a wagon train heading West. Then the Texans hired on, leading the battling greenhorn pioneers across the Missouri River, across Nebraska Territory, and into the wilds past Forts Laramie and Bridger. With winter closing in, Spencer's men were running out of time to reach the wide-open land of Oregon. And with a fortune in gold hidden in one of the pilgrims' wooden wagons-and outlaws circling like wolves-there were miles of shooting and dying still ahead.
The only riches Texans had left after the Civil War were five million
maverick longhorns and the brains, brawn and boldness to drive them
north to where the money was. Now, Ralph Compton brings this violent and magnificent time to life in an extraordinary epic series based on the history-making trail drives.
The Oregon Trail
Lou Spencer, Dill Summer, and their fourteen Texas cowboys briught a herd up to Independence, Missouri, and sold half to a wagon train heading West. Then the Texans hired on, leading the battling greenhorn pioneers across the Missouri River, across Nebraska Territory, and into the wilds past Forts Laramie and Bridger. With winter closing in, Spencer's men were running out of time to reach the wide-open land of Oregon. And with a fortune in gold hidden in one of the pilgrims' wooden wagons-and outlaws circling like wolves-there were miles of shooting and dying still ahead.
- GenresWesterns
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Ralph Compton
250 books88 followersRalph Compton (April 11, 1934—September 16, 1998) was an American writer of western fiction.
A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, Compton began his writing career with a notable work, The Goodnight Trail, which was chosen as a finalist for the Western Writers of America "Medicine Pipe Bearer Award" bestowed upon the "Best Debut Novel". He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. In the last decade of his life, he authored more than two dozen novels, some of which made it onto the USA Today bestseller list for fiction.
Ralph Compton died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 64. Since his passing, Signet Books has continued the author's legacy, releasing new novels, written by authors such as Joseph A. West and David Robbins, under Compton's byline.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ralphc...
A native of St. Clair County, Alabama, Compton began his writing career with a notable work, The Goodnight Trail, which was chosen as a finalist for the Western Writers of America "Medicine Pipe Bearer Award" bestowed upon the "Best Debut Novel". He was also the author of the Sundown Rider series and the Border Empire series. In the last decade of his life, he authored more than two dozen novels, some of which made it onto the USA Today bestseller list for fiction.
Ralph Compton died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 64. Since his passing, Signet Books has continued the author's legacy, releasing new novels, written by authors such as Joseph A. West and David Robbins, under Compton's byline.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ralphc...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 1, 2020
This was a fictionalized story of the first wagon trail to Oregon in 1843. With westerns like this you have cattle herding cowboys and pioneer travelers with lots of gunfights to keep the thieves away. It was well written and very good story to listen. It reminds me of the old westerns I use to watch on tv growing up. With all the troubles the wagon trail has issues with trying to make it to Oregon. If you like westerns this book fits the bill and will not disappoint.
August 15, 2026
When I hop into a book like this, I expect to travel back to experience history as it was. Not every book is perfect in this sense, and there are times I can overlook small infractions.
With that being said, the book itself is alright in a vacuum. My criticism with the story itself is that Lou is a Gary Stu: He always has the answers to any problem the wagon train faces, everything he takes on is accomplished flawlessly. I found Landon Everett’s story way more compelling.
The problem I can’t overcome is that this book is full of reminders that the setting is 1843. That would be 20 years before the era of the Texas cowboy, four years prior to the development of the Colt Walker, and 30 years prior to the production of the Sharps .50. I think my favorite part about the book is the review on the cover. From the Artesia New Mexico Press: “A sweeping historically accurate epic that makes America’s trail drives come alive.”
Ultimately, if what you’re looking for is yet another trail drive headed by cowboys and can ignore the setting, you may fancy this book. And I’m not going to bag on the series itself nor the author. I personally enjoyed the Chisholm Trail, but I also didn’t have to suspend belief in order to enjoy it. The setting was correct in that novel, and I felt that any historical inaccuracies like Jesse Chisholm’s only son and his position as a cattle rancher in Indian Territory could be ignored.
With that being said, the book itself is alright in a vacuum. My criticism with the story itself is that Lou is a Gary Stu: He always has the answers to any problem the wagon train faces, everything he takes on is accomplished flawlessly. I found Landon Everett’s story way more compelling.
The problem I can’t overcome is that this book is full of reminders that the setting is 1843. That would be 20 years before the era of the Texas cowboy, four years prior to the development of the Colt Walker, and 30 years prior to the production of the Sharps .50. I think my favorite part about the book is the review on the cover. From the Artesia New Mexico Press: “A sweeping historically accurate epic that makes America’s trail drives come alive.”
Ultimately, if what you’re looking for is yet another trail drive headed by cowboys and can ignore the setting, you may fancy this book. And I’m not going to bag on the series itself nor the author. I personally enjoyed the Chisholm Trail, but I also didn’t have to suspend belief in order to enjoy it. The setting was correct in that novel, and I felt that any historical inaccuracies like Jesse Chisholm’s only son and his position as a cattle rancher in Indian Territory could be ignored.
December 20, 2017
Reading this for book group, because the theme is Westerns and we each read a book on the theme and talk about it, I found it a page-turning tale of tough times on the Oregon Trail in 1843 for both the cattle trail cowboys and the pioneer trail regular people--they are combined into one wagon train here. Of course there are rustlers and ruffians and thieves galore, so always threats and gunfights. It is, of course, full of what Chris Bohjalian of the Washington Post calls "pain porn" in trail-blazing stories. The personal stories, the women's stories, the budding love stories all kept me so interested--the characters are really alive.
The only puzzle, the disconcerting aspect, is how Compton changes place and plot from one paragraph to the next with no transition. I got used to it, and it kept the pace on the move, but never seen it done before.
Worth the read!
The only puzzle, the disconcerting aspect, is how Compton changes place and plot from one paragraph to the next with no transition. I got used to it, and it kept the pace on the move, but never seen it done before.
Worth the read!
December 30, 2022
Compton’s trail series is a good one. It has plenty of facts and you characters from history come alive. This story is set in 1843 and begins in Independence, Missouri and ends at the Willamette Valley , Oregon. They face weather, rustlers, crooks and just ornery people. They traverse the entire trail. The story is a good one and the characters well developed.
November 20, 2017
I have read the 13 Trail Drive Series books by Ralph Compton. Excellent author.
May 5, 2019
This book was definitely a so called page turner for me. I could have easily given it 5 stars.
March 7, 2022
Another great historical novel by Compton. Several footnotes on landmarks along the trail are noted. It makes the story more readable and factual. Very easy to read and enjoy.
February 28, 2017
Comfortable western reading.
December 16, 2008
good book good story
July 12, 2013
Good read. First book of the series I've read. It was passed to me by a friend, and I will read additional books by Compton.
November 28, 2013
This was a fun book. Well written, with a great mystery of murder on the trail.
February 12, 2016
Western trail story of pioneers and 3,000 Texas Longhorn cattle on the move from Independence, Missouri to Oregon. The use of dialect was distracting and of course things were very black and white.
December 20, 2016
Fictionalized first wagon train to Oregon to include thousands of longhorn cattle summer 1843. I learned a new word ~ remuda. It was a good read but not great. 3.7 stars.
Read
December 25, 2016Great tales of circling the wagons and herding cattle. I felt like I was on the trail with them.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews