At age thirteen, Dayton Hyde, a spirited beanpole of a boy, ran away
from home in Michigan to Yamsi, his uncle's ranch in eastern Oregon.
This was in the 1930s, and Yamsi was one of the last great cattle
ranches of the West. Soon the boy, nicknamed "Hawk," was riding a horse,
soaking up ranch life from the hired hands, and winning the cowboys'
respect.
A natural bronco buster, he eventually became a rodeo rider, bull
fighter, clown, and photographer, working all over the West with the
likes of Slim Pickens, Rex Allen, and Mel Lambert--all of whom went on
to careers in Hollywood--and selling pictures to Life magazine. After
the Second World War, he took over the reins at Yamsi, ensuring its
survival in changing times. Now, half a century later, he gives us his
valedictory ode to that last great period of the Old West. Full of
humor, rollicking stories, and love of the land, Hyde pays homage to the
cowboys, Indians, and great horses that made the West the legend it is
today.