Cowboy Life on the Sidetrack : 9781782820901 : 20 Mar 2013 : All the characters of the Wild West around the Union Pacific Railroad This concise book concentrates on the cowboys and the characters and events which surrounded them during the halcyon days of the 'Wild West' in 19th century America. The author writes from a position of authority, for he worked as a cowboy himself for a while and with them for over thirty years of his life on the plains of Wyoming. The railroad was an essential part of the cowboy's story and indeed it became the ultimate destination, for without it their valuable livestock would never have reached the insatiable markets of the North American continent. The railroad featured in this book-the great Union Pacific-runs unerringly through the pages of this narrative just as it should. Cowboys were well known for spinning yarns to entertain themselves around the campfire after the day's work was done and there is certainly an element of that in this book, as e