Publisher: Four Horsemen LLC - August 1, 1981
Language: English
Imitation Leather: 135 pages
Weight: 11.5 ounces
Bob Fudge: Texas Trail Driver
By Jim Russell
Bob Fudge lived in the American West of the late 1800s and early 1900s, and told stories about the cowboy life of the Old American West. Readers will enjoy Bob’s account of life with Indians, stampeding cattle herds, roundups, and cowboys caring for their cattle as they trail them from Texas to the lush grasses of Montana territory along the Yellowstone range. During his long colorful career as a trail rider, Bob Fudge drove contract cattle herds from, worked on several cattle ranches in Montana and later settled in Powder River Country in southeastern Montana. Bob was a skilled storyteller who shared what he’d seen and done throughout his time as a cattleman. During the winter of 1932, author James Russell listened to and documented Bob’s stories in handwritten notes, which were originally published in … as Bob Fudge: Texas Trail Driver, Montana – Wyoming Cowboy 1862–1933.
Read Riding for the Brand: The Ballad of Bob Fudge in Cowboys and Indians Magazine (5/24/2023).
On Sarpy Creek
Out of print since 1938, On Sarpy Creek was reissued in 2003—with stunning cover art by Helena artist Dale Livezey—by Bedrock Editions in partnership with Riverbend Publishing (both of Helena, Montana).
Set in eastern Montana during the drought years following World War I, the story centers on the lives of the homesteading families who live on Sarpy Creek. This is a drama with heart and emotion, but is not overly sentimental. The characters are richly drawn: their thoughts, actions, and words are honestly and genuinely portrayed. This is the kind of story that pulls you in and doesn't let you go until the last word is read.
On Sarpy Creek is Ira S. Nelson's only known work, but all who read it consider it a little masterpiece. Simple, yet profound, this family saga is complete with births and deaths, passionate, tender love and marital strife, a shocking murder, inner struggles about spirituality and existence, and the power of love and loyalty that sometimes, but not always, overcomes adversity and hardship. Beautifully written in spare, straightforward prose, Nelson's treatment of the authentic vernacular of the time and place is lyrically interwoven with narration that gives equal treatment to the environment that is home to the residents of Sarpy Creek. Along with the people, the land, sky, creek, animals, and weather all play critical roles in the telling of this Montana story.
On Sarpy Creek deserves a chance to to claim its place in the rich tradition of Montana literature.
It is available in book stores throughout Montana, through most online booksellers, and directly contacting Bedrock Books.
"A deceptively simple novel, this is a profound work of art, an exploration of love and courage and hope; it tells of a farm family in Montana in the 1920s; tells of the connection of people to the land, in all its beauty and richness and harshness; tells of being connected to other people on the deepest levels. I cannot praise this book highly enough: it has depth but is a joy to read. Published first in 1938, it is a real find."
A Reader from Bozeman, Montana
ABOUT IRA S. NELSON
Not much is known about Ira Stephens Nelson, author of On Sarpy Creek. What is known is that he spent some time living in Montana as a foster child. It is possible that he lived in the Billings area, where Sarpy Creek is located. Today there is a highway exit off the interstate highway indicating the location of Sarpy Creek. He wrote his book in the midst of the Depression, and it was originally published in 1938.
Perhaps because the country was shortly swept up in World War II, there was never a second press run and the book soon fell into obscurity. However, an excerpt from the book appears in Joseph Kinsey Howards 1949 edition of Montana Margins: A State Anthology along with a glowing review of the book.
It is not known what Ira Nelson did with his life, or where he went, or who he knew. The facts are skeletal. He traveled a lot. He married a woman who had three daughters. He died in Georgia, where he was the caretaker and maintenance man for an estate. He never published any other works, though his stepdaughters say he tended to write copiously.
A few years ago, Scott Mainwaring (above right) was researching a literary project when he happened across a review of On Sarpy Creek, which was printed in a teachers magazine published in the 1950s. The review sparked his interest, and he found an original copy of the book at the Montana Historical Society.
At that point, he became interested in republishing the book and began to search for Ira Nelson in order to ask permission. Several years passed without turning up news of Ira. Then, he and his literary-minded friends hired a private detective. The detective located a recent death certificate for Ira.
Ira had been alive during the prolonged search, but died in 1994 just before contact was made. Tragically, he never saw the republication of his book. His stepdaughters, when contacted, never even knew he had ever written a book.
