An Alberta rancher himself, Elofson helps us feel the dust, sweat, cold, and danger of round-ups as well as the disheartening after-effects of stampedes. He describes the massive losses incurred when herds were subjected to winter storms, wolves, prairie fires, disease, and rustlers and provides vivid illustrations of the dangers of ordinary life for both cowboy and settler. Cowboys, Gentlemen, and Cattle Thieves argues that the greatest influence on ranchers and settlers was the need to deal with the frontier environment and shows that adoption of intensive agricultural practices helped them carve out a permanent place in rural western Canada.

Warren M. Elofson is professor of history, University of Calgary. He has farmed and ranched in Alberta all his life and is the author of The Rockingham Connection and the Second Founding of the Whig Party.

Warren M. Elofson's profile page

"The picture Elofson paints of the beef-raising era is gritty, sweaty, and comprehensive. His ideas are provocative and stimulating. His point, that small ranches adapted more effectively to southern Alberta's environment, is well taken and adds an important element to our understanding of the ranching era." A.A. den Otter, Department of History, Memorial University of Newfoundland
"Elofson offers a refreshing view of the subject. Of special interest and value is his analysis of the inevitability of the demise of 'pure' ranching, and its subsequent transition to mixed farming." D.N. Sprague, Department of History, University of Manitoba