Before Zane Grey became famous for novels like Riders of the Purple Sage, he was a dentist with a serious case of wanderlust. This book is his travel journal from 1908, chronicling his trip with Charles "Buffalo" Jones, a living legend who helped wipe out the buffalo herds and then spent his later years trying to save other animals from extinction.

The Story

The plot is straightforward but packed with tension. Grey joins Jones and a small crew on a journey into the incredibly remote and rugged Arizona Strip, north of the Grand Canyon. Their quest isn't for gold or land, but to capture live cougars (mountain lions) to sell to zoos and save from ranchers' bullets. They do this on horseback, with lassos and sheer nerve. The book follows their grueling trek—the punishing heat, the dangerous terrain, the close calls with deadly snakes and the lions themselves. It’s a series of expeditions and encounters, less about a single climax and more about the daily struggle of man against a vast, unforgiving wilderness that was already slipping away.

Why You Should Read It

What makes this book special is its authenticity. You're not reading a polished novel; you're reading Grey's raw, awe-struck impressions. You feel his fear when a horse almost plunges off a cliff, and his admiration for Jones’s almost mystical connection to the land and animals. The central theme is this painful contradiction: Jones is both a symbol of the old West that destroyed wildlife, and a pioneer of the new idea of conservation. The book sits right on that line, and you can feel Grey wrestling with it. The writing is vivid and immediate. You can practically taste the dust and feel the saddle sores.

Final Verdict

This is a must-read for anyone who loves adventure stories, American history, or the origins of the Western genre. It’s perfect for history buffs who want a first-hand account, or for fans of Grey’s fiction who want to see where his love for the West began. It’s also great for anyone who enjoys true survival tales. It’s not a fast-paced shoot-em-up; it’s a thoughtful, gritty, and often beautiful portrait of the last gasp of a wild America, written by the man who would go on to immortalize it in myth. A true hidden gem.