Letters From a Montana Sheep Man: The true tale of Isaac S. Schultz who survived the blizzards of 1886-87—and why he went missing for 44 years

by Darlene Della Schneck

Born in 1851 into a Schwenkfelder farming family in eastern Pennsylvania, the studious Isaac S. Schultz graduated from Ursinus College and studied at Dartmouth College. Restless and ambitious, he set out to seek his fortune in the West, ending up in the Montana Territory as a sheep rancher. However, his dream of striking it rich was cruelly crushed by the terrible winter storms of 1886-87 (known as the "big die-up") which killed most of his sheep. Alone, devastated and not wishing to admit failure to his family back east, the 36-year-old sheep rancher chose to disappear for the rest of his life. When he was 79 years old and in failing health, Isaac’s wife devised a scheme that would finally reunite him with his astonished relatives. From the Wild West of the 1880s to the rural farmlands of eastern Pennsylvania during the Great Depression, "Letters From a Montana Sheep Man" is a heartbreaking tale of one family’s race against time to find each other again before it is too late. Includes 67 letters written in 1880-87 and 1931, and lavishly illustrated in color with 72 historical and family photographs, letters, maps, and illustrations.

178 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2013