Dead Hard Country : Of Men and Horses

By: Dawn Newland

An deeply researched Historical account of the life and times of a frontier woman and the men that loved and hated her. Lucy J. Tressler - Thornhill rebelled against the unwritten laws of Montana Territory and fought for a divorce from an abusive husband. Her closest neighbor, the infamous outlaw, Kid Curry emerged from the shadows of the "Owl Hoot Trail" to save her life and thus form a lifelong friendship which created a scandal that trailed her for 130 years. After Montana became a state in November of 1889, Lucy began her fifteen year ordeal of repeatedly riding 160 miles to the county seat in Fort Benton to file for a divorce. Her courage was indomitable in the face of unspeakable hardship. Lucy's actions raised eyebrows and branded her as a loose woman. She lost children to lies and sickness, was left broken and alone on the prairie only to rise again. This is a love story unlike any you've ever read. Not just Lucy's story, but a clear and honest, historically correct view into the life of the stock-men that tamed a wild and lawless country. Lucy' rubbed shoulders with the men that went down in history as the foundation of the stock industry in Montana. Men like Granville Stewart, the Father of Montana Ranching, Pike Landusky, the tough miner and namesake of the town of Landusky, Montana, Robert Coburn and his sons that owned the sprawling Circle C Ranch and held a large political presence in the budding state government. James Thornhill not only redeemed Lucy, he was the man that stood behind Kid Curry as a friend and neighbor, the one who believed in him as a man that was wronged by society and a crooked government agency called "The Pinkertons". He stood by Lucy, hid her, and championed her cause. Not only does "A Dead Hard Country" follow Lucy Tressler Thornhill, but it reveals the truth about James Thornhill, John Curry, and Kid Curry. It dispels myths and reveals the stalwart character of Lucy and the men she loved.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1735634409
• ISBN13: 9781735634401
• Release Date: November 2020
• Publisher: Cowgirl Historian, The
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.