When it was sold in 1974, the ranch had been in the Arthur family
for 72 years. Writer Kathleen Arthur evokes a powerful sense of
what it was like to grow up as a member of the fourth generation of
a cattle ranching family. She and her sister, Tammi, grew from
toddlers to teenagers surrounded by the daily workings of a cattle
ranch. As the family worked on the ranch, the girls learned
independence, self-reliance and satisfaction in a job well done.
With almost 1000 acres as their playground, the girls were free to
roam and play, expanding their boundaries. They knew they could go
no further than where they could hear the pickup horn honking if
Mom wanted them to head for the house. Hauling wood, chasing horses
and chasing water were much more than chores, providing life
lessons in hard work as the girls tagged along and then helped as
they got older. The family worked long, hard hours because the land
demanded it. Work on the ranch never let up but it did change with
the seasons. In winter cows and horses were fed the hay grown on
the ranch. Early in the spring, calves were born. Later, when the
snow melted in the high country, the hayfields were irrigated.
Early summer, calves were branded and the cattle moved to the upper
pasture. Mid and late summer was haying season. Fall was for
canning and hunting season. And the cycle began again. Ranching
knew no holidays, weekends or vacations and there was no calling in
sick with this job. Ms. Arthur's detailed descriptions give us
insight into a lifestyle that is quickly disappearing as family
ranches are sold and subdivided into housing developments. As the
tale unfolds about trailing horses cross country to hunting camp,
the reader can almost feel the fresh mountain air and hear the
creaking of saddle leather. Accounts of stepping in fresh cow
manure, working in the hot, dusty hayfields or chasing a calf out
of the brush are vivid and colorful. Only the haying crew knows
just how delicious ice cold water from an old Clorox jug can be. It
is both funny and touching as the writer relates being startled by
a snake or unexpectedly walking home after being thrown by her
horse. For their part, the girls had roles to play that made them
feel like an important part of the operation. They opened gates,
put in the hubs on the four wheel drive pickup, hauled wood and
constantly fetched things for their folks. They worked hard but
when they took a few hours off, the family played hard too,
spending many happy days camping, picnicking, fishing, plinking
away at tin cans with the .22 rifle and generally romping around in
the high country. Whether moving cows, putting up hay or fixing
fence, the whole family pitched in to get the job done. The Arthur
Ranch on East Divide Creek is a compelling account of a
disappearing way of life, told from an insider's point of view. If
you have an interest in the land and the critters in the Rocky
Mountain west or a passion for country living, this book is for
you.
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