Harry Marriott was a cowboy-rancher from 1912, when he arrived at the Gang Ranch after a 100-mile journey by freight wagon, through to the 1950s. He adhered to a homespun philosophy of perseverance, a code that helped him overcome adversities of all kinds, from devastating summer droughts to numbing -60°F spells in winter.

In colourful, down-home style, he describes founding his O K Ranch, shares stories about cattle drives and roundups (the last of which involved 1,000 head and took place when he was approaching age 70), recalls social gatherings at the Howling Dog Hall, and pays homage to the rangeland people--cowboys, First Nations, homesteaders, dudes and fellow ranchers, all of whom he described as "a good class of folk who would always feed you and make you welcome when you came riding by."