Publisher's Synopsis
This book has taken more than 70 years to be told. The first part includes three western short stories by Rich Roy Thomson (RRT), written before his death in 1950, and previously unpublished. Two of them are cowboy stories, the first is called "The Lost Boy Lode" about two teens who are out hunting near the mining camp of Aspen, Colorado in the 1890s and stumble across some quartz rock that looks like gold. But trouble ensues, when they share that information with co-workers and family. The next story "The Spoiling of Plateau Sal" concerns a young Colorado cowboy, set in the early 1900s, riding across country to a job, grabs a meal at a isolated ranch along the way, and is asked to ride a horse, which has never been ridden before. The final short story takes place outside of Meeker Colorado, where a young man has a small outfit engaged in catching and breaking wild horses, is visited by an older stranger, who overstays his welcome.
. Also included in the book is a detailed non-fiction article by Rich, entitled "The Last Roundup" which details how Rich and his family, including spouse Pearl "Tommy" Thomson, and sons James and Robert, were pioneers in providing large-scale Wilderness Trail Rides in western Colorado during the 1930s and 1940s. Also included is some supplementary information from Robert W. Thomson from the 1960's in his continuation of the Hunting Camp part of the family business. The last story of the book is "The Last Thomson Hunting Camp" written by Daniel Parliman, in 2022/2023 and details his experiences and impressions as a participant in the 1972 hunting camp by his great uncle, Robert W. Thomson and related family stories of previous hunting camps of the 50s, 60s by various family members and others who participated in those events.
