Great Ranches of the West

Photography by Jim Keene
Publisher: KMedia, Inc.
1st edition 2007

From our Purveyor of Books:
This is a stunning work. Gorgeous photographs tell the stories of thirty great ranches of the west. Lush colors and engaging storytelling share 11"x12" pages. Awarded the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the Coffee Table Book Category, this volume is more than just a pretty picture. Here's the opening line to the story of Nebraska's Haythorn Ranch:

"Boy, you brought this trouble on yourself," the captain shouted, shoving the teenaged stowaway into the arms of two sailors. "Take him below to shovel manure!" It was 1876, and the two rough men hauled the struggling youth to the bowels of the ship. There was no turning back to port for this English cattle ship, so sixteen-year-old Harry Haythornthwaite of Lancaster, England, crossed the Atlantic cleaning stalls of the bulls bound for Texas.

Want to find out what became of Harry when he arrived in Texas...? It's a great story!

Jim Keene writes in his Dedication:
This book is dedicated to the American Rancher - those hardy people of the land, who for generations have produced and raised the best livestock in the world. All of us could well learn from their work ethic, diverse skills and special character qualitites. Also, as in all my work and life, I dedicate this book to my God - author of creativity.

From the Back Cover:
Jim has spent most of his adult life hiking and photographing on public land in the West. He has climbed all 54 of Colorado's highest mountains, and has camped in the wilderness in all four seasons, creating thousands of landscape photographs. In, Great Ranches of the West, Jim has focused his cameras on private land and has made some remarkable discoveries. There are close to 600 photographs in this book, created over a five-year span. The photography and stories reveal how important this ranchland and the families who live there are to our country.

Hardcover. 228 pages. Published without a book jacket.