Memoirs of an American Cowboy
A Collection of Real Life Stories Of Sherman Glen Hand
by
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Dad built a small frame house with two rooms. There was no electricity, no running water, and no bathroom. They used kerosene lamps for light. There were no telephones in that part of Montana. There were no automobiles so there were no oiled roads or bridges. Travel was by saddle horse, walking, or horse and buggy. From the time that we were babies, we had to be independent. To get water, they put a barrel on a horse drawn sled and went to a well about a quarter mile away. The well was next to a creek that was dry most of the year. When the creek was dry, they pulled water from the well by a bucket on a rope for 35 cows and five horses. The toilet was an outhouse in the back with a Sears Roebuck catalog for toilet paper. We took our baths about once a week in the metal wash tub. That is where my brother, Fred, and I were born... How do you put a finishing chapter onto a life that was so fulfilling, both for the man and the people he knew? Gramps had wild horse rides, late night adventures across country, and quiet times alone. He had been to Washington D.C. and worked in the nation’s capital. He had blazed trails in the hills that tourists now use for sightseeing and summer vacations. He went to the holy land of Israel and Jordan and visited the wailing wall of Jerusalem. How can one put a finishing touch to that? It has taken me two years to figure a way to say how he impacted me and those closest to him. Since he finished his story, I thought I should finish mine. Now that I have had the time to reflect and the time to sit and write, I begin...
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About the Book
These stories represent a small portion of the life and times of a man who impacted a lot of people's lives, from family, neighbors, life long friends, and recent acquaintances. He has left his mark, whether it was in the mountains of Wyoming, the prairies of Nebraska, or a stretch of highway in South Dakota. They would not be what they are now, in part, for who he was. He saw the better part of a century - when the United States was coming into its own internationally, brought electricity to the country, and met with two of its greatest battles on its own turf. He has seen man go to depths in the ocean never before possible and soared to heights far into our galaxy. He has seen the development of television and computers and global positioning satellites. What an ever growing world his generation has left for us and what broad shoulders on which we are able to stand. This second edition reflects the editor's thoughts and sentiments after the death of his two grandparents and so puts a "final chapter" to close the book.
About the Author
This is the second edition that concludes with Sherman's final chapter and Steven's thoughts about their special relationship. The author, Sherman Hand, was born in Montana and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He has done a number of things, but his most memorable were the days he was a cowboy. He joined a story writing club in Rapid City a number of years ago and wrote of those memories - his memoirs. He died in June, 2010 and his bride of over 70 years followed him in 2012. He is survived by their two children, four grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and seven great-great grandchildren. The editor, Steven Hand, is Sherman's second grandson. They have a kindred spirit in being cowboys and riding the range. He spend a few summers with Sherman on the two ranches in the Black Hills and Wyoming and lived in Rapid City for some time. He was so moved with Sherman's stories and his own memories of the ranch that he got permission to put the stories into a collection that tells the story of his favorite cowboy. He and his wife of over 30 years, have two children, two grandsons, and have lived in Illinois for the last 15 years.