The Virginian

Owen Wister, “The Virginian,”  G.K.Hall Large Print, Orignally published 1902, 520 pp.

The Virginian, a 1902 novel by Owen Wister, Teddy Roosevelt's buddy, is recognized as the first cowboy novel.  Seven movies of this fictional cowboy, who participated on the side of the large land owners in the infamous Johnson County War, have been made*.  The Virginian paved the way for many more westerns by such authors as Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour.

Wister spent several summers out in the American West, making his first trip to Wyoming in 1885, my Grandmothers year of birth. On an 1893 visit to Yellowstone, Wister met the western artist Frederic Remington; who also remained a lifelong friend.

Plot: The Virginian is a ranch hand at the Sunk Creek Ranch, located outside of Medicine Bow, Wyoming. His friend Steve calls him "Jeff " presumably after Jefferson Davis, but he is always referred to as the Virginian, and no name is mentioned throughout the story. He is described as a tall, dark, slim young giant, with a deep personality. At first, he is only a cowboy, but halfway through the book, he is signed on as the full-time foreman. He is the Judge's most trusted worker. Several times throughout the book, he is offered the chance to run down his enemy, Trampas, behind his back, but each time he refuses the temptation. It is made clear that he will not use his official position as foreman to crush any of his employees. One of the main plots is the Virginian's ongoing romance with the newly appointed schoolmarm of Medicine Bow, Miss Molly Stark Wood. Being from the East, she is not used to the wild West, and the Virginian is a perfect gentleman to her, intending to make her "love him before we get through."

Anyway, I found it worth reading because of its seminal position in cowboy novels.  I may have to get an Edgar Allen Poe novel to get to the beginning of that genre of literature as well.

*Movies based on the book:

The Virginian (1914 film) directed by Cecil B. DeMille, with Dustin Farnum

The Virginian (1923 film) with Kenneth Harlan and Florence Vidor

The Virginian (1929 film) with Gary Cooper and Walter Huston

The Virginian (1946 film) with Joel McCrea and Brian Donlevy

The Virginian (1962 - 1971 TV Series) with James Drury and Doug McClure

The Virginian (2000 TV movie) with Bill Pullman and Diane Lane

The Virginian (2014 Video) with Trace Adkins and Victoria Pratt