Customer Reviews

Plaids & Bandanas: From Highland Drover to Wildwest Cowboy

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I found this book a good read. There are few accounts which consider the European roots of the cowboy phenomenon. The cattle business was the basis of the economy in the north of Scotland for centuries; sheep weren't important until the late 18th century.

The author deals with the background of Amercian cowboys, but he left out one notable cowboy whose family emigrated to Canada from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.

Donald Morrison is well known to Canadians as the Megantic Outlaw. As a cowboy he drove cattle from Texas to Saskatchewan. He was outlawed after returning to Quebec to help his father save the family farm. He killed a special constable in a fair gunfight, according to witness' accounts, and was hidden by Highland families in the Megantic area for about a year. Those interested can read Clarke Wallace's 'Wanted: Donald Morrison' for all the details.