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Biography & Autobiography Historical

To Be a Cowboy

Oliver Christensen's Story

by (author) Barbara Holliday

as told by Oliver Christensen

Publisher
University of Calgary Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2004
Category
Historical
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781552381175
    Publish Date
    Feb 2004
    List Price
    $24.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781552384602
    Publish Date
    Feb 2004
    List Price
    $24.95

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Description

During a time of two world wars and a sluggish world economy, many Northern Europeans left their homelands to build the American and Canadian West with dreams of abundance and new life. Spanning a period from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, To Be a Cowboy : Oliver Christensen's Story recounts the dreams and realities of a father and a son.

Otto Christensen came to North America in the early 1900s as an indentured farm worker from Denmark with a dream of becoming a successful farmer in Alberta. His son, Oliver, grew up on his father's farm during the Dirty Thirties and soon realized his dream of becoming a cowboy in the mid-1940s. As a rider at the Bar U Ranch -- the largest, most successful ranch in Canada at the time - Oliver discovered life as a cowboy could not be his for long. Based on oral history interviews and a treasure trove of family papers, To Be A Cowboy is a compelling memoir that paints a portrait of a dying way of life.

About the authors

Barbara Holliday was a historian on the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site development project for six years. Born in Manitoba, Barbara moved from one Canadian Navy base to another, dreaming of owning a horse and living in Alberta one day.

Barbara Holliday's profile page

Oliver Christensen's profile page