Two orphans face starvation on the prairie of northeastern Kansas during the terrible winter of 1885–86. Dell and Joel Wells, redheads who have barely reached shaving age, are about to abandon their dead father’s claim on Beaver Creek because it won’t grow crops. Then unexpected events, and a drover seeking aid, allow them a decent chance in life.
First published in 1911, Wells Brothers, The Young Cattle Kings shows what happens when experienced enterprise meets youthful energy. The boys develop their own ranch on the Beaver, without capital but with honor. No amount of savvy can entirely prepare them for the risks: cruel winters, rapacious wolf packs, summer droughts, mysterious Texas fever, the shifting circumstances of the cattle trade. Andy Adams (1859–1935), author of the classic Log of a Cowboy (also available as a Bison Book), wraps the saga of the Wells brothers in authentic western atmosphere and lore.