Laramie Holds the Range

by Frank H. Spearman, James Reynolds

"Laramie Holds the Range" is a novel by American writer Frank Hamilton Spearman. While working as a bank president in McCook, Nebraska, Spearman, in his dreams, dwelt among the prairies and wilderness of the West. He lived at the beginning of the 20th century – when the railways network was actively built across the states. Most of his novels are dedicated to living on the early western railroads. Yet, the book "Laramie Holds the Range" focuses on the life of cattle rustlers and romantic cowboy heroes. It revokes the romantics of that distant era populated by fearless people able to do everything to reach their dreams.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Frank Hamilton Spearman was an American author.

Reviews

[John Reis · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Kate finally meets her father after traveling across the country it is not a cheerful or tearful introduction. Her father, Barb Doubleday, is older, laconic and generally uncomfortable around people. She settles in. She learns how to ride a horse and shoot a gun. And to generally take care of the place. She learns her father is in debt.

Barb falls ill, and Kate takes care of him. Kate learns a deputy marshal is coming to serve her father papers and while in town meets a man who wants to meet her father. She decides to distract the man until it is time for him to leave on the late train. She invites him for a ride, and they are gone all day.

Jim Laramie is a small rancher living in Falling Water, who is fiercely independent. Kate’s father and others have tried to hire him to clean out the rustlers in his area. He has always refused.

The owner of the local hotel has a party to celebrate the birth of his first child. Tom Stone draws on Jim Laramie who knocks him out.

Several days later Barb Doubleday hosts a Fourth of July barbecue. Barb introduces Jim to his daughter Kate. Barb and others hope to recruit Laramie and their fight against the recruiters the wrestlers

Doubleday, Van Horn, Stone, and others raid the area where the rustlers live.

They kill Stormy Gorman and lay siege to Dutch Henry’s place. At midnight Dutch’s cabin goes up in flames, which surprises the besiegers. There are only two rustlers left: Russ Robinson, and Abe Hawk a lifelong friend of Laramie’s.

Laramie becomes the focus of the posse. He, however, is focused on Kate Doubleday.

The writing is better in this book than in his two short story collections. It too has a lot of jargon: quirt, felloe to name two. It is over 100 years old.
Laramie is a good man, an uneducated and uncultured man, but a good man all the same.

[Elizabeth Gillott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs a good copy edit.

[G Blench · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good old time western story with lots of gun fights and maybe a love match? Very good descriptions of the area, people and hard times while the West was being settled

[Diana West · Rating 5 out of 5]

it doesn't get any better than this.

I first found a Frank Spearman book in a dusty bookcase in a ranch house in Montana. I searched for years to find more. I re-read Laramie Holds The Range every few years. Spearman had a talent for bringing the old West alive in an authentic, priceless way that is simply no longer accessible.