The Incredible Gang Ranch

by Dale Alsager, Herb Bryce (Editor)

Hardship, intrigue, humour, and tragedy went into author Dale Alsager's successful struggle to lasso The Incredible Gang Ranch, North America's largest cattle ranching empire and once the largest in the world at four million acres. Family squabbles, jealousies, and desperate financial hardship have gone into the continuing legal battle to keep it. The legendary million-acre ranch in central British Columbia is still worth more than 10 million dollars today, even after having been broken up. Its colourful and dramatic 130-year history includes meddling government bureaucracies, absentee owners, and tough economic times. This book makes a galloping good read, from the notorious founders, the Harper gang of West Virginia in the 1800s, through the days of the California and Cariboo Gold Rushes, to the high-flying, high-risk, computer-aged corporate ranching of the 20th century, apparent sabotage, and dramatic court battles.

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Steve Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author uses this book about the Gang Ranch to review the history of this storied ranch and to defend his actions in its purchase. The purchase and the author's management of that purchase with his family seems to have resulted in their bankruptcy. The reader will learn a bit about the ranch and too much about how not to engineer a large purchase. I knew little about this episode of the first Canadian owners of the Gang Ranch so I came with an open mind. In reading the first couple of chapters it was evident to me that the author was defending his actions with no inclusion the viewpoint of the other family members. This is his side of the collapse of their ownership. The details about the history of the Gang Ranch are worthwhile.