Frontier Cattle Ranching in the Land and Times of Charlie Russell

by Warren M. Elofson

In Frontier Cattle Ranching in the Land and Times of Charlie Russell, Warren Elofson debunks the myth of the American "wild west" and the Canadian "mild west" by demonstrating that cattlemen on both sides of the forty-ninth parallel shared a common experience. Focusing on Montana, Southern Alberta, Southern Saskatchewan, and the well-known figure of Charlie Russell - an artist and storyteller from that era who spent time on both sides of the border - Elofson examines the lives of cowboys and ranch owners, looking closely at the prevalence of drunkenness, prostitution, gunplay, rustling, and vigilante justice in both Canada and the United States.

266 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2004

Reviews

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is baffling how lowly rated this book is. The first paragraph of the introduction makes clear that this is not about Charlie Russel specifically but rather a critical analysis of the romanticized era he was apart of. (Considering the nature of academic publications and the fact Elofson is a tenured professor I don't think he was using the name for 'clickbait'). Elofson moves beyond binary images of the American and Canadian frontiers by doing a combined analysis. His gendered and racial analyses are on the weaker side, leaving more to be desired. Nonetheless, the book is an important contribution to understanding the frontier culture of ranching and cattle raising and how moving how from national narratives helps to illuminate more of that picture.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

History professor Elofson takes the position that ranching on the Canadian and American sides of the border were not as different as Canadians like to make out. The Americans could not lay sole claim to drunken rowdiness as there was also plenty of bootlegging, cattle rustling, and prostitution in Assiniboia as well (later divided into Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905). His research carries on from an earlier book, Cowboys, Gentlemen, and Cattle Thieves: Ranching on the Western Frontier.

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book annoyed me mainly because the title is a blatant attempt to make the book look more interesting and subsequently more lucrative. Elofson's treatment of cattle ranching has NOTHING to do with the western artist, Charlie Russell. Thus, the book turned out to be nothing like expected from the cover.

Additionally, Elofson seems to really love and buy into the whole awesome cowboy lifestyle thing. Odd and a bit negligent for an academic book.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to give up on this book.
Interesting idea comparing the Canadian frontier to the American frontier but way to boring with long lists of data that don't help tell the story.