Once in the Saddle

Wade Stagmire's first memorable experience as he rode into the redwood forest country was to see‚ in awe and horror‚ the felling of a giant redwood tree that was probably a thousand years old. There he meets Ruel Tedrow‚ the manager of the Hubbard Lumbering Company‚ and Stewart Hubbard‚ niece of Jared Hubbard‚ owner of the lumbering company.

Stagmire hires on at nearby Anchor Ranch‚ owned by Gib Dawson‚ an older man‚ now lame‚ who is beset by rustlers operating in the district. The nearby town is Castle City‚ well named for its location near the rocky shoreline overlooking the ocean. It is here that rustled cattle end up as unidentifiable skinned and dressed beef to feed the loggers and mill hands working for Jared Hubbard. Wade Stagmire becomes captive of a battle with vicious rustlers and his stalking past.