Montana Bullwhacker

“How old are you, kid?” McClellan asked him.



Lisha drew himself up to his full height.  “Sixteen,” he said and hoped he knew the reason why McClellan had asked.



“The big boss needs men badly, kid.  Why don’t you try to get on as a stage hand, or maybe a driver?  You’re right handy with horses.  You’re quick and tough.”



This is the story of Elisha Rouse.  When he was just a boy of fifteen, he and his older brother Elliot left their home in Franklin County, Minnesota, to follow the trail west.  The west, with its promise of a free, adventuresome life had seemed the brightest prospect within their vision.  But their excitement and hopes begin to fade as they encounter disappointed men along the trail, returning from California, “the fabulous land of gold.”  Many of them had lost everything.  Sick and disillusioned, they turned back to the settled east with its known security, farms, gardens, and pastures full of contented herds grazing the rich grass.  Elisha and Elliot had to make a choice.  Should they continue on the wagon train they were on to California, or should they strike out on their own?  


Find out where the western trail takes Elisha in this exciting book about rugged cowboys, hostile Indians, and uncharted territories.