High Rider
Page 23
The trail drive out of Texas probably terminated in Montana rather than Ogallala, and though the adventures experienced along the way may not apply to Ware’s journey, they are all based on historical fact. Ware did go to Virginia City to mine silver with his friend, although his friend’s name was Bill Moodie. They did separate and eventually meet up in Pocatello, where they joined Tom Lynch on the drive to Alberta. Since I couldn’t find out what happened to Moodie, he became Duffy, whose life and death are fictional.
In Alberta, all the characters are real (including Molly and Bismarck), except Duffy, of course; Adam Newby, who is a composite character; Jack Strong; and the magistrate—but he is based on a real magistrate who dropped drunk and disorderly charges against Ware and paid him to break a wild horse. Ware may or may not have played a part in the Jumbo Fisk affair, but he was working in Calgary for the I.G. Baker Company at the time. The British noblemen are based on real characters who visited the Quorn Ranch. They did go on a “fox” hunt, and Ware did scoop up one of them, who later rewarded him with a Prince Albert coat. All of the other events in Alberta are real too, from Ware riding Mustard over the cutbank to his death from Molly’s stumble.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My thanks to: Diamond Joe White, whose great song “High Rider” first brought the story of John Ware to my attention; Jean Gallup, Interpretation Officer at the Bar U Ranch National Historical Site of Canada for her warm welcome there; and Ross Fritz, cowboy, also of the Bar U, for taking some time away from his beautiful Percherons to chat about John Ware over a cup of coffee. Thanks also to all the talented folks at TouchWood Editions who helped put this book together, especially Marlyn Horsdal and Cailey Cavallin for their expert guidance. And, as always, thanks to Jaye for her unfailing encouragement.
BILL GALLAHER is a well-known singer and songwriter. He is the author of The Wild Jack Strong trilogy, which includes The Frog Lake Massacre, The Luck of the Horseman, and The Horseman’s Last Call. Please visit billgallaher.ca.
More from Bill Gallaher
The Horseman's Last Call
The Wild Jack Strong Trilogy
The Horseman’s Last Call presents the closing chapters in the life of Wild Jack Strong. The story opens with Jack content on the ranch he had always dreamed of, with a loving wife and an adopted son. His good friend Jim Spencer and Jim’s family live just down the road, so life couldn’t be better.
However, things take an unwanted turn when war breaks out in Europe and Jack once more feels the need to heed his country’s call. But the war changes his life in unexpected ways as he discovers that not only does loyalty sometimes go unrewarded, it can also be one-sided.
The Horseman’s Last Call is the third and final volume in the Wild Jack Strong trilogy that began with The Frog Lake Massacre followed by The Luck of the Horseman. The series recounts how one man's life is impacted by the great events of Canadian history, from the Riel Rebellion in 1885, through the Anglo-Boer War and the First World War, to the On-to-Ottawa Trek of 1935.
The Luck of the Horseman
The Wild Jack Strong Trilogy
A follow-up to The Frog Lake Massacre, The Luck of the Horseman is a cleverly written ride from the days of the Wild West. The story begins ten years after the Frog Lake massacre. Jack Strong is doing a poor job of dealing with a devastating personal tragedy. He reconnects with Sam Steele, an old acquaintance and police officer, to assist in a hunt for a man wanted for murder. During the hunt, Jack meets a roaming cowboy named Jim Spencer. Soon Jack and Jim find themselves risking a challenging cattle drive over the Chilkat Pass to Dawson City, where the Klondike gold rush is in full swing.
The Luck of the Horseman is a tale of friendship, and war, and of love lost and love found. It is the second part of a three-part story that chronicles the life of Jack Strong, from the Frog Lake massacre of 1885 and subsequent hunt for the Cree chief Big Bear, through the Anglo-Boer War, to the First World War and the Boxcar Rebellion of 1935.
The Frog Lake Massacre
The Wild Jack Strong Trilogy
In the spring of 1884, Jack, an adventurous young man, packs his bags in Victoria, BC, and heads for the prairies, looking for a new life and hoping to get involved in an Indian war. Instead, he lucks into an exciting job in the fur trade and meets and befriends many of the great chiefs of the Cree nation, such as Poundmaker and Big Bear, and ends up between a bullet and a target when the North-West Rebellion erupts. After witnessing the historic Frog Lake Massacre and the murder of his friends, Jack is captured by the Cree warriors and, later, guides the famous Inspector Sam Steele on the hunt for Cree Chief Big Bear.
The Frog Lake Massacre is the first book in a trilogy about a young man who is trying to forge an independent life for himself in the huge and newly established country of Canada. Along the way, he discovers that bravery and loyalty bring their own rewards.
The Journey
The Overlanders' Quest for Gold
Bill Gallaher’s bestselling novel The Journey follows a group of three adventurous Overlanders—two young men and one remarkable woman—as they travel west in 1862, from the Manitoba prairies to the goldfields of the Cariboo.
With his gift for storytelling, Gallaher brings this intriguing era to the page as he vividly recounts the overland trek of the spirited Catherine Schubert, who made the trip in an undetected state of pregnancy; James Sellar, a combative young man of rigid determination; and Thomas McMicking, the visionary captain of the often unruly company.
Copyright © 2015 Bill Gallaher
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (ACCESS Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit accesscopyright.ca.
TouchWood Editions
touchwoodeditions.com
LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION
Gallaher, Bill, author
High rider / Bill Gallaher.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77151-115-5 (html).--ISBN 978-1-77151-116-2 (pdf)
1. Ware, John, 1845?–1905—Fiction. I. Title.
PS8563.A424H54 2015 C813'.6 C2014-908210-X
Editor: Marlyn Horsdal
Copy editor: Cailey Cavallin
Proofreader: Christine Savage
Design: Pete Kohut
Cover images: John Ware, Glenbow Archives NA-263-1 (detail)
Horse and rider, Glenbow Archives NA-4571-11 (detail)
Author photo: Jaye Gallagher
The title of this book was adopted from the song of the same name by Diamond Joe White. Both the title and the epigraph on page 1 are used with permission from the artist.
The song lyrics on page 80 come from “Bury Me on the Lone Prairie” (also known as “The Cowboy’s Lament”), which is in the public domain.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support for our publishing activities from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and from the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.