Cowboys , John Eggen , $ 19.95 , 128 pages , Photos , Paper . Click To order

Beginning with the cover photo ,

western buffs will be mightily entertained by this unusual book made up mostly of beautiful , large , clear photographs . On the cover readers see the chuck wagon cook pouring flour from a bucket into a washtub , one cowboy sitting inside a storage box on top of the chuck wagon , while another pours what looks like “ white lightning ” from a jug into somebody ’ s tin cup . Here you have the makings of a fine outdoor dinner . Bed rolls on the ground and smoke rising from the fire under enormous Dutch ovens tell it all .

The book begins by telling the story of the original photographer Frank M . Sherman , who , along with his three cowboy brothers before 1900 rode the old-time trails driving cattle throughout Colorado and beyond . Frank eventually became a photographer , and by 1903 he owned a photo studio in Colorado Springs , Colorado . He wanted to expand his post card collection , so re-joined his brothers on a cattle drive at that time . During the drive he unexpectedly got information that President Theodore Roosevelt was traveling by train through Colorado , and the cowboys invited him to stop and enjoy a “ cowboy chuck wagon breakfast ” with them .

Thus the president appears in this book laughing with the crew . His silk high-hat and elegant suit makes a comical contrast with the battered cowboy garb assembled around him . Everybody looks like they are having a great time .

In 1906 Frank re-located to Oregon where he opened a photo shop , and also became a prominent small fruit grower . He married , had a family , but was tragically killed in a shooting accident at his farm in 1921 . His widow abandoned the property , including Frank ’ s collection of glass negatives

These precious negatives languished in the basement of the house until 1966 when a new lady owner of the property discovered the box and just before hauling it all to the city garbage dump , contacted the local photographer John Eggen . She asked if he would like to have the plates since she did not know anything about them and had no interest in it . Mr . Eggen accepted the offer , and when examining the contents of this mysterious box he found three hundred 5 X 7 glass plates , a treasure chest record of real old-time cowboys working on the open range .

Mr . Eggen compiled a book which was published in 1992 . Having grown up on a ranch in western South Dakota , Mr . Eggen appreciated these wonderful photos and care- Continued on next column

May 24 th thru 29 th the 47th Bishop Mule Days Celebration will take place . It ’ s arguably the finest , most fun and unique mule show in the world .

What makes us so special ? Bishop , California is located in the picturesque Owens Valley , situated under the 10,000 to 14,000 foot peaks of the White Mountains and Eastern Sierra Nevada ’ s .

During the week leading up to Memorial Day hundreds of competitors and their mules converge on the Tri-County Fairgrounds to compete in over 200 classes which include English , western , cow working , roping , driving , chariot speed events , gymkhana , packing competitions , trail classes , dressage , reigning , fun classes , Americana , farm implements , weight pulling , and the interscholastic packing championships . Without a doubt , Bishop Mule Days highlights the talents , endurance and athleticism of the

Cowboys from previous column fully preserved them here for us to see .

Page after page , readers will find the guns , the spurs , the chaps , the steely-eyed expressions on the faces of real working cowboys . The chuck wagons and all the gear , bucking horses , cattle branding , ranch buildings and corrals , throwing a bronc to trim its hooves , roping steers , and the desolate plains are here . Cowboys chop wood , haul “ buffalo chips ”, harness horses , run cows through the dipping pens , and doctor sick calves . Readers see the dust and the smoke and the brand inspection . Some of these men

mule and donkey better and more completely than any other mule show on earth .

If that ’ s not enough , we have an authentic western concert Thursday night featuring the best cowboy entertainers in the business and the world ’ s longest running non-motorized parade on Saturday morning . There is also an abundance of sightseeing opportunities such as Death Valley National Park , Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest , Alabama Hills , Western Film History Museum , Manzanar Historical Site , Laws Railroad Museum and countless lakes and streams to fish .

You ’ re invited to come and be part of the fun western tradition and to experience the Eastern Sierra .

grinned for the cameraman , but most were a no-nonsense crowd doing a hard job .

Who said the Old West was merely a fantasy ? Surely that remark came from somebody who lived in Hollywood . This book shows what true grit is all about .

Cowboys by John Eggen belongs in your Old West library .

Editor ’ s Note : The Reviewer , Phyllis Morreale-de la Garza is the author of many published books , including the novel Widow ’ s Peak , published by Silk Label Books , P . O . Box 700 , Unionville , New York 10988 ( 845-726-3434 ) www . silklabelbooks . com