astation of these grasses and soils as markets boomed and tens of thousands of cattle moved north, many wintering on ranges around the rail heads to gain weight and kill off the Texas fever– carrying ticks. Lehman deft ly shows that just when the trail drives should have ended, the chase for quick and easy profi ts moved the routes west and farther north. He notes that taking Texas cattle to the Northern Plains and the coolseason grasses (that cured into highprotein forage) was made possible by the near eradication of the bison and necessitated by the impounding of the Native peoples of the region. Th ese northern drives and winter stocking essentially ended when the deadly winter of 1886– 87 hit the overgrazed Northern Plains. From the dust and ashes of the trails rose an American icon, the cowboy. Lehman traces this transformation in cogent fashion, from the nightherd songs and poems, to the “dime novels,” to the Hollywood “horse operas” of the early 1900s. Gone from this legend were the hardship, the cruelty, and the extreme toll exacted from the land, the stock, and the men of the trail drives that we are given glimpses of in this appealing book.

中文翻译：

---

1889 年：迈克尔·J·海托尔 (Michael J. Hightower) 的婴儿潮一代运动、土地奔跑和早期俄克拉荷马城

随着市场繁荣和数以万计的牛向北迁移，这些草和土壤的枯竭，许多牛在铁路头周围的范围内越冬，以增加体重并杀死携带德克萨斯热的蜱虫。雷曼兄弟巧妙地表明，就在小道驾驶应该结束的时候，为了快速轻松的利润而将路线向西移动到更北的地方。他指出，将德克萨斯牛带到北部平原和凉季草（固化成高蛋白草料）是由于野牛几乎被根除而成为可能，并且由于该地区土著人民的被捕而成为必要。当 1886-87 年致命的冬季袭击过度放牧的北部平原时，这些北方驱赶和冬季放养基本上结束了。从小径的尘土和灰烬中升起一个美国偶像，牛仔。雷曼兄弟以令人信服的方式追溯了这种转变，从夜莺歌曲和诗歌，到“一毛钱小说”，再到 1900 年代初期的好莱坞“马戏”。在这本引人入胜的书中，我们瞥见了从土地、牲畜和越野车中付出的艰辛、残酷和极端的代价，从这个传说中消失了。