Details on Walter Gann are hard to come by. But we know from the short biographies in his two published books—the non-fiction Tread of the Longhorns and western The Trail Boss—that he was born in Texas and spent thirty-five years in the cattle industry as a “cowboy” before becoming a Sheriff’s deputy and a special agent for the Union Pacific railroad. He wrote many historical articles and western short stories for Frontier Life, Old West, and True West magazines, among others.
"Best cowhand in the whole state of Texas and he ain't afraid of hell fire, neither." That's how Bill Sanders, top trail bos of the Lone Star country, was known by his crew... a man of tact, skill and ingenuity who had a will of steel and a sentimental spot in his cowboy heart for the one-horned, outlaw steer Sancho, whose path he crossed many times. Rustlers, cow thieves, and bandits right roughshod through the pages of The Trail Boss, giving Walter Gann's story the same vivid, picturesque and authentic qualities as The Virginian.
The compelling, action-packed history of cattle drives, from biblical times to the arduous journeys from Texas to points across the United States during the wild and wooly frontier days. Walter Gann has caught the surge and sweep, the drama and romance, the hard-ship and heart-break, of handling cattle and enduring the western way of life. Full of high adventure and astonishing facts, this classic non-fiction overview is a must-read for western writers and fans alike.