Harry Marriott was a cowboy-rancher from 1912, when he arrived at the Gang Ranch after a 100-mile journey by freight wagon, through to the 1950s. He adhered to a homespun philosophy of perseverance, a code that helped him overcome adversities of all kinds, from devastating summer droughts to numbing -60°F spells in winter.

In colourful, down-home style, he describes founding his O K Ranch, shares stories about cattle drives and roundups (the last of which involved 1,000 head and took place when he was approaching age 70), recalls social gatherings at the Howling Dog Hall, and pays homage to the rangeland people—cowboys, First Nations, homesteaders, dudes and fellow ranchers, all of whom he described as "a good class of folk who would always feed you and make you welcome when you came riding by."

Born in England in 1891, Harry Marriott immigrated to British Columbia in 1907. Harry married Violet May Price, better known to her hundreds of resort guests as "Pegg." Harry was a cowboy in the Big Bar/Gang Ranch area of BC from 1912 to 1966. When he died in 1969 at 79, his ashes were buried overlooking Big Bar Lake and the country he knew so well and enjoyed so thoroughly. He was a cousin of Eric Collier, who wrote Three Against the Wilderness.

Harry Marriott's profile page

“[Marriott's] love of the country and his tales of days gone by capture the spirit of a place and its people with affection and pride. . . well told, engaging, and leaves the reader wanting more.” —Nora D.S. Robins, Canadian Book Review Annual