Louis Lamour Book Reviews

Quackery was a famously profitable industry throughout the 18th and 19th centuries throughout the United States as well as Europe and other parts of the world.  Even today in the 20th century many untried supplements and herbal remedies continue to be sold with varying levels of success at natural and organic markets throughout the country and around the world.

Among the most famous is Dr. Godbold’s Vegetable Balsam of Life which was purported to cure consumption, asthma, coughs and the common cold.   Louis L’amour did his research and makes use of the fame of quackery in Hanging Woman Creek.  The cattle rustler Tom Gatty specifically asks for Dr. Godbold’s Vegetable Balsam of Life on one occaision, refusing to settle for Gardner’s Horse Linament.

Ann Bronte took Dr. Godbold’s Vegetable Balsam, but to no avail.  In the end she perished.  It appears that the balsam did little help the fictional Tom Gatty either.

How much of modern supplements and home remedies are legacies of quackery?  How many really work?  Which discoveries of modern medicine wait just around the corner?

Boxing is one of the many recurring themes in Louis L’amour novels.  During his own life L’amour fought many boxing matches and this is certainly a topic that he knew much about.

In my own experience, having fought in the ring I can attest that the information that he presents in the stories are exact and correct.  Whether the boxing is more or less anecdotal such as in Hanging Woman Creek or if it presents a pivotal moment such as in Lando, the theme is generally the same.  The rough fighter that enjoys fighting for the sake of fighting finds a mentor who then begins to teach him how to find in a more precise and scientific manner.

In many ways boxing is a rite of passage for L’amour that takes his heroes from boyhood to manhood despire the fact that many are already adults when the stories begin.  All heroes must undergo a transformation of some kind - physical, emotional, spiritual or otherwise.  Boxing is one of a set of staple transformations that typify Lamour’s characters, and one which I personally enjoy very much.

A similar sort of transformation is very common in the action movies of today.  Many martial arts movies, for example are all about the physical journey from unskilled to master - a well-known precedent of the great Bruce Lee.  George Lucas used the same trope with his Jedi characters.  This trait is one of the many that make Luke Skywalker such an endearing figure.

I cannot fault L’amour for using boxing in this way - in fact I commend it and appreciate it more each time I read it.

Louis L’amour describes the use of leather shoes to disguise the tracks of a horse in Hanging Woman Creek.  Pronto Pike is initially very confused about this practice when he first discovers it (p. 32).

This practice continues to be confusing as he believes at first that it is a sign that Indians are in the area.  I haven’t been able to find a whole lot of information regarding this practice by Native Americans, but apparently it served the purpose of disguising the horse’s tracks so as to make it difficult to distinguish and follow.  The tracks would be softer and leave a bit less of a mark, and in addition could be used to hide the marks left by a shod horse.  I would imagine that they would also offer a bit of protection similar to iron horse shoes.

The ancient Greeks used leather horse shoes as did the ancient Chinese.  There is no reason to believe that some Native American tribes would not have developed a similar use.

In the end it turns out that it is a white woman who is using the leather horse shoes in order to disguise her own passage.

Page 28 of Hanging Woman Creek has a quick grocery list of the items that Eddie Holt and Pronto Pike have with them in the line cabin.  Pronto lists “some big cans of Arbuckle” among the items.

What is Arbuckle?  Well Arbuckle was he first coffee roaster to package and seal whole roasted coffee beans in one pound packages, starting in 1864.  Arbuckle coffee quickly became not only the most popular coffee in the United States at the time but in fact became a synonym for coffee itself.

An old cow puncher might use the term Arbuckle in place of coffee, particularly to distinguish it from chicory which was often used in place of coffee when real coffee was not available.

Have you had your cup of Arbuckle today?

Loius L’amour’s choice of words in Hanging Woman Creek really helps set apart the character of Pronto Pike and Eddie Holt.

Pronto describes handling his horse as “dabbed a loop on him.” (Hanging Woman Creek p. 30).  In 21st century United States, very few people would dab a loop or even know what such a phrase would mean.

Take L’amour’s description of Bud Oliver. “Now Bud was a long, lean drink of water with a hawk face on him, and he was stubborn as a hammer-headed bronc, but I had never known him to be so downright skittish before.” (Hanging Woman Creek p. 28)

Words like “drink of water,” “hammer-headed bronc,” “downright,” and “skittish,” are all very different from modern adjectives.  A more contemporary description might use words like frightened, skinny, hard headed, or nervous.  Phrases like these really help to take the reader back in time and place to the old west and create a sense of altered reality that is vivid, real and captivating.

Hanging Woman Creek follows a very similar line to many of Louis L’amour’s novels, however this time though the main character is a regular cattle puncher the most noticeably absent plot device is the cattle drive.  Pronto Pike hooks up with fellow rag-tag Eddie Holt and heads back west to find a job and a grub stake.

He spends the winter maintaining a line cabin in rough country for Bill Justin who is facing trouble with cattle rustlers.  Unlike many stereotypical leading men, Pronto Pike is not handy with a pistol but rather focuses on doing the job at hand.  He is not larger than life, but rather a practical man.

Together Pronto and Eddie solve the mystery of the rustlers and also manage to help save Ann Farley from certain death when the rustlers attack her.

Once again L’amour’s treatment of the west is given in vivid detail with masterful descriptions and characterizations.  Hanging Woman Creek is a bit removed from what could be expected by reading one of the Sackett novels and provides a bit of insight into a piece of the west that many might find unfamiliar.

Pronto Pike is perhaps the orneriest critter ever known to man, but he also makes for a rather likeable main character due to his loyalty and willingness to share with and protect his friends.  He is unfailing in his service and gratitude towards Eddie, and willingly accepts the job for Bill Justin despite the signs that the job may not be a very good one.

When it becomes obvious that the job is not safe he does ask Eddie “You want to quit?” (The Daybreakers p. 26).  This gesture seems to come more from his friendship and concern for Eddie’s safety than from cowardice or even common sense on Pronto’s part.  He is more relieved than frightened when Eddie replies that he would like to stay on the job.

His irascibility governs his persona very early on.  As the story progresses, however, Pronto undergoes some significant changes.  By the end of the story he has come to think of himself as a rancher – a person of respect and responsibility.  In the early chapter these notions are entirely foreign to Pronto.  Perhaps his willingness and ability to change mark the most endearing traits of Pronto Pike.