Day the Cowboys Quit, The

Elmer Kelton, 1971

This was cowboy country once: a land of hardworking hands who rode for the brand come hell or high water. Now a different breed is moving in--big outfits backed by Eastern syndicates and run by power-hungry "managers," men who figure to make a profit, even if it means crowding a cowboy too far...

Hugh Hitchcock tried to keep the peace between rancher and cowboy, but when push came to shove the wagon boss knew where his loyalties lay. And when the ranchers stole his cattle, when they lynched his friend and hired a back shooter to put him in his grave, he kept on fighting...because even is they took everything he had, they couldn't touch his pride--or his willingness to fight to the bloody end.