The Green River Trail

Trail Drive #13

by Ralph Compton

The year was 1853. For handful of cowboys turned California Gold Rushers, it was time to go home. Then Lonnie Kilgore and his fellow Texans met Western legend and former mountain man Jim Bridger, who told them of a lush range waiting to be claimed in northern Utah. Now, the Texans have purchased land on the Green river and come to San Antonio to gather up some longhorns. But with Indian trouble, law trouble, and woman trouble along for the ride, the cowboys are finding out the truth about this paradise: to live on land you bought and paid for, you have to be willing to die...

Genres: Westerns

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Ralph 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...

Reviews

[Peter Charleston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice western. A little disappointed about the ending.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is well written and very descriptive novel. It probably had too many characters, but he does develop them well. It would make a decent movie. The problem is the ending. When they reach the destination, the book just ends. It would have been nice to have a wrap up of how they fared.

[Chuck Whiteneck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Compton's best.
Action and pace are slow. Character development takes too long, and there are too many main characters.
Would have made a better short story of 100 - 150 pages rather than the 290 paperback.

[Jeffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was also a little disappointed with the ending but I still thought it was a good read. Yes a lot of characters to remember but it was doable.

[Ron Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rcsva13

I just reread this book after several years. I enjoyed it again because it is a very good read and I will reread more books in this series

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great historical read. Good history about one of the begining trails and the expansion of the West.

[Susan1566 · Rating 3 out of 5]

As easy reading western that follows Compton’s standard form - cowboys, stampedes, adversity and women.

[David Burnworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of the books in this series, the storyline is good, the main characters are all people you would ride the river with. Lonnie and Dallas were true leaders and I like how those who were on the drive became a real family. Wovoka was as true as any person you would ever meet back in that time period.
The best part of the old west as with this book a man and woman wanted to be together.

[Rustin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book. It's a stereotypical John Wayne movie without The Duke to save it. It has cowboy talk that would make Yosemite Sam envious. The cowboys and there women get face hardships of: bandits, Mexican rustlers, crooked law men, and savage Indians and get through with little more than come scrapes, bumps, and bruises. This book should have been left behind the cattle heard with all the other crap.

[Jerry Blackerby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read some of Ralph Compton's books in the past, but it has been a long time. This was an interesting book and easy to read. I just do not rate his books quite as high as I do some other authors.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Settling the West

Good story of real cooperation and hard work as the group moves a large herd to fulfill their shared dream.