Akron Public Library

In the summer of 1889, a mysterious and charismatic man rides into a small Wyoming valley, where he joins homesteaders who take a stand against a bullying cattle rancher, and where he changes the lives of a young boy and his parents.

At what point does a group of strangers become a community? When young Bendigo Shafter and a ragtag bunch of travelers settle in the rugged Wyoming mountains, they quickly come to depend on a toughness and wisdom many of them never knew they possessed. Led by the beautiful and resourceful widow Ruth Macken, the settlers battle harsh winters, renegade opportunists, and the destructive lure of gold. Through these brutally demanding experiences, young...

When Catharine Olsen leaves Holland for America as a mail-order bride, she brings along some extra baggage: two sisters, her mother's set of Blue Willow china, and a tragic past. When she arrives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she promptly marries Peter Andersen and dreams of starting life over in this rugged land. Peter is kind and patient with Catharine and accommodating to her sisters. His mother, however, is not. When she begins a campaign to sabotage...

"In the 1830s, in the wild Wyoming territory, Jonathan Byrd is working as a fur trapper. But the quiet young man dreams of giving up the high country life and decides to make his home in a little valley called Shywater. Before long, however, other Byrds arrive. Jonathan’s cousin is a failed farmer and an alcoholic. He has brought his wife, son, and infant daughter to Shywater with no thought as to how he will support them. Along with them trails...

THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITER OF THE 21ST CENTURY Selling his gun to the highest bidder, sharpshooter Monte Carson rode side by side with Big Jim Slaughter, the most feared hombre in Wyoming Territory. But when Monte decided to reform his ways and give back $50,000 in stolen army payroll, he made an enemy in Slaughter and a friend in mountain man Smoke Jensen. Now, an enraged Slaughter wants his money, and if he doesn't get it, he's going to kill...

In the 1830s in the wild Wyoming territory, young fur trapper Jonathan Byrd accompanies his older partner to the yearly Rendezvous, a time for trappers to sell and trade goods along with merrymaking and games. Persuaded to join in, Jonathan wins a Crow pony, which he reluctantly accepts, and the Crow chief's daughter, whom he refuses. Jonathan means to give up the high country life, and sets out to make a peaceful home of a little folded valley called...

"As the old ways of the nineteenth century fade, Out of the Darkness tells a story that touches on the themes and issues America will face in the new century that looms ahead. It is a story of technology and its place in society. It is a story of violence, a doctor's responsibility to his patient, and a lawyer's responsibility to his client. It is a story of forbidden love, and a story of a timid, terrified young woman's finding her courage. It questions...