On The Terror Trail

About the Book

You will find that On The Terror Trail is an exciting, action-oriented tale that is hard to put down once opened. It contains five love stories, details of how the daily lives of pioneer people were lived, what they believed in and their fierce loyalty to friends, family and country. Their independence, self reliance, honesty and their quick, decisive and often violent response to the lawless actions of others spells out why all could feel safe and secure in their homes, businesses and schools.

It is a tale of their struggles to survive in the wilderness, to deal with Indians, rustlers, weather, range fires and to build, always to build. Of their daily lives, loves, births, deaths, happiness and tragedy.

In Book One, the story follows Tom Tennery and Cindy Tuttle as they are chased over the mountains by the killers of her parents; their gunfights with their pursuers, and the trial and hangings of the killers. After their marriage, they move a herd of cattle from the Arizona Territory to a wilderness valley in the Montana Territory where they carve a home and a cattle ranch out of the wilderness. Ezra Spencer, a mountain man who becomes a friend, adviser and stalwart fighter in the battles with rustlers, Indians and the wilderness itself, marries an Indian woman, Yellow Flower. Together, the four people form a lifelong partnership, raising their families on the TC Ranch. In building their lives and the ranch they fight rustlers, range fires, blizzards, disease and injuries. They endure hardship, loneliness and the hostile actions of others who seek to destroy all they hold dear. Through it all, they live and love in the most beautiful place on earth. The two women exemplify the part played by women in the pioneer era of this country. They were an integral part of the fighting, nurturing and building of families, communities and the nation.

Book Two, set fifteen years later, follows the loves and marriages of three of the Tennery and Spencer children as well as the loves and struggles of the Hooper family as they try to patch up a dysfunctional marriage and salvage a wayward son. Sarah Tennery, daughter of Tom and Cindy, marries a scoundrel, Clint Williams, who proves to be a sexual predator and a criminal seeking to destroy her family. The manner in which she ultimately brings about his downfall is swift, brutal and fatal. Tom, as president of the Cattlemen´s Association, works with the railroad owners to get a spur line built into the valley and the towns of Centerville and Wolf Creek. Clint attempts to prevent the railroad construction and failing, has his men set fire to the TC range. There follows a gun battle and a firefighting effort. Yellow Flower is gravely wounded and both families struggle to save her using primitive frontier methods. Josh, son of Ezra and Yellow Flower, overhears his fourteen year old sister confess that she has been seduced by Clay Hooper who then laughed at her suggestion of marriage. The manner in which he exacts revenge is swift, ferocious and sets into motion the reformation of the Hooper marriage and the salvation of Clay. It also leads to the marriage of George Wright and Jennifer and the building of their ranch and life together. This synopsis is just a bare sampling of the full story, touching only a very few of the story elements.

About the Author

Born in 1926, I am a product of the Great Depression, my experiences in WWII and my life’s work as a forest ranger. The stories handed down generation to generation in my family, provided a basis for writing about the pioneers who by moving westward over the decades, built this great nation. How they lived, what they believed in and the manner in which they responded to threats by others to themselves, their loved ones and neighbors is the way in which my ancestors lived, loved, fought and died. My experiences as a forest ranger in the wild lands of California and camping and hiking in the primitive areas, provided an understanding of the unforgiving aspect of nature toward the mistakes made by men who dare to intrude upon her domain.