Sundown

Michael Zimmer

"Most of the ranchers around Sand Creek had brought cattle up from Texas when free grass opened in Nebraska. It was tough, but eventually Ben Wyatt's Bar-W and the other ranches began to prosper -- and so did the shantytown of Sand Creek. The town's old sod buildings were replaced by plank structures, and the riffraff that seemed to thrive in the lawlessness of a hide-town gave way to honest merchants. Its very existence depended upon the cattle business. When the ranches hurt, Sand Creek hurt -- and the rances were hurting bad in 1876. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills brought thousands of people to the area and soon put a strain on the food supply. At first, there were random rustlings. But now it was no longer just a few head stolen to feed a mining camp. The thievery was too widespread - there had to be some kind of organization behind it. So the Cattlemen's...

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