Lane Collier: Dodge City (PDF)

Dodge City is the second of three historical novels depicting the life of fictional plains adventurer, Lane Collier. This time Collier is a professional bison hunter during the great Southern herd slaughter of the early 1870s. He has formed a successful partnership with Abraham Marmaduke McKnight, a wildly notorious thumper, gambler, and whoremonger. In spite of his lack of civility, McKnight is also a loyal, honest, and dedicated friend. The men set off on one last hunt south of the "Dead Line" into hostile Indian country to pursue the last remnants of the great herd.Although the legendary frontier settlement of Dodge City is most closely associated with Texas cattle drives of the 1880s, its founding was as a center of the buffalo hide trade. Dodge City takes the reader on a historically accurate professional hide hunt describing the trade and dangers associated with chasing "spikes." The book also presents the romance and mystery of the open plains before white settlement.Collier again takes up his legendary Remington Rolling Block rifle as he ventures into the Llano Estacado region of West Texas. Not only does he encounter the buffalo, but also an old antagonist attempting to drive him from the last remainder of the Indian Southern hunting grounds. He is also embroiled in the discovery of Spanish Canyon, the renowned site of Coronado's hidden treasure. Plenty of action, adventure, and history await in Dodge City. Join the second of a series that enjoys national serialization in SHOOT! magazine, a chronicle for Old West and living history enthusiasts.BOSON BOOKSoffers several westerns and nonfiction works by Randy D. Smith. For an author bio and photo, reviews and a reading sample, visit bosonbooks.com.