What is a range war and its legacy?

After meeting several people at the Northtown Book Fair, the question was, what is a range war?

We all know war is a time of hatred, anger, and killing. Often, people who want nothing to do with the war are sucked in.

Wars leave a legacy behind them. People not involved in the war are affected by the killings, anger, and hatred. It colors the rest of their lives.

The book Range War Legacy is about a war between the ranchers who raised sheep and the ranchers who raised cattle. They wanted the same public land pastures for grazing. The ranchers depended on their animals for their livelihood.

There were several cattle and sheep wars, but the last was in Crook County, Oregon.

The first chapter is about a real man named Creed (I kid you not).

Chapter One
Oregon 1905

Grasping his whiskey bottle, the scruffy man yanked on the reins and slid off his horse. He stumbled to a poplar by the trail and leaned his back against the trunk. He then slid down to the ground and pulled the cork from the bottle, taking a swig. Hearing hoof beats, he turned to see a rider approach. He grinned and waved the man over to the tree. "How come you're out this way?" he asked.

"I heard what you said in the bar in town, Creed, and I wanted to hear more."

"I didn't see you."

"You had a pack of men hanging on every word you said about the gunnysackers. I was in the back."

"Yep, I had everyone's attention. And why not? I spoke the truth."

The man dismounted from his large bay and crouched next to Creed. "Yeah, but you've been known to stretch a good yarn. You said you knew who the gunnysackers are, so prove it and tell me their names."

"Oh, I do, all right, but I ain't telling. They're good fellas, and I ain't going to get them into any trouble. No siree. My secret."

"How did you find out who they are if you aren't one of them?"

"I was in the barn over in Hay Creek, working in a back stall when ten or eleven men came in and talked about where they were going that night and where they would meet up. They didn't know I was there, and I kept real quiet. Didn't take no chances I might spook them, if you catch my meaning." Creed laughed and shoved his bottle toward his companion. "Have a drink."

The man took the bottle and sipped the booze before handing it back. " I didn't take much, as money is tight, and a whole bottle is dear."

"Don't worry. There's more where this came from." Creed guzzled several gulps.

"Really?"

"Yep. Those gunnysackers are good guys. I think they'll do the right thing by me and help me out when I need money. I just have to get one guy off by himself and let him know I ain't telling anyone what I saw. He'll pass the word around, and they'll all be grateful to Creed." He smiled. His throat uttered a guttual "yeah." He waved the bottle toward his friend. "Here, drink as much as you want."

"Looks like enough for one good drink. I think you should be the one to finish this."

"All right, if you insist." Creed raised the bottle to his lips and gulped down the last swallow. Smiling and sliding sideways farther to the ground, he sputtered, "I think I'm drunk. Yes, siree, I'm drunk."

"I think so, too. Better let me take your gun from your holster, so you don't lie on it."

Creed pulled himself upright against the tree. "You're a good guy, like the gunnysackers. A good guy." Creed closed his eyes and exhaled a foul breath. His head slumped forward.

"I'm a good guy, all right." He pulled Creed's gun from the holster, pointed it at Creed's heart, and squeezed the trigger twice. The roar disappeared into the air as quickly as it had shattered it.

The man took Creed's hands and laid them in his lap. He positioned the gun between them and pointed it toward Creed's chest. "You're a good guy, too, and I know you'll be keeping your secret." He mounted his horse and headed off down the dirt trail.

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Note: gunnysackers were the cattlemen who killed sheep herders and sheep. They wore a gunny sack over their head with two holes cut for their eyes. Gunny sacks were burlap bags used to hold heavy items such as fifty pounds of potatoes.

Find out about what happened after Creed was murdered. The book, Range War Legacy, is on Amazon. It is a historical fiction that shows the violence and the attitudes of the people involved and the effect it had on others.