Hunting Range Cattle in Moffat County, Colorado

Wide open range, wild range cattle, no horse, no dog-and our few cows were out there somewhere. In 1916, when my brother was 12 years old, and 1,10, and we lived in Moffat County, Colorado, we had the job of finding the cows and bringing them home for milking.

One evening, after hours of fruitless walking, we went back without them, and our mama told us "to find those cows and don't come home without them."

We took a lantern, for it was quite dark, and we hunted. When we couldn't tell a cow from a cedar tree, we used a light from the lantern to start a small fire. We alternated resting and searching until about three o'clock in the morning when we gave up and struggled home.

Mama and our sister were in the yard calling, even shooting a gun to attract our attention. We had not heard a thing.

We really got told off! But when Mama gave an order, we thought she meant it like she said it. 

Mary J. Feuerborn
Grand Junction, Colorado

Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.