Mark Warren's Blog: Mark Warren Blog - Posts Tagged "nate-champion"
The Nate Champion Duology, "Nate, The Texas Story," and "Nate, The Wyoming Story"
As a western historian, I am honored to bring the story of a little known hero to light.
Nate Champion might be the most heroic figure of America’s Old West . . . and yet one of popular history’s best-kept secrets. Now he finally gets his due in my historical novel duology.
Nate's humble beginnings in Texas prepare him for a life with horses and cattle. Though a well-known horse trainer in his own time, Nate holds the simple aspiration of running his own cattle ranch, a dream he will carry to the Wyoming Territory as the Johnson County Range War drags him into its clutches and climaxes in one of the most impressive last stands of American history.
Nate, The Texas Story - Book One follows Nate’s formative years in Round Rock, Texas, where he makes his reputation as a competent cowboy and forms lasting friendships that will weave into his future in unexpected ways. Like all youth of his time, he learns the hard-won lessons of experience as he encounters both the good and the corrupt, that latter class including the notorious Sam Bass gang.
Most importantly, as he comes of age, Nate is introduced to the complexities of the feminine mystique. A smart, angelic young girl unlocks a chamber of Nate’s heart to which he has not before been privy. Her parents, however, forbid the relationship, which leads to tragedy and leaves a gaping hole in Nate’s soul.
All the life lessons that accumulate in Texas prepare Nate Champion for the immortal fame he will attain in Wyoming. His story is one that every American should know.
Nate, The Wyoming Story (book 2)
Nate Champion strikes out to Wyoming Territory and discovers the allure of the Powder River Basin as an ideal location for raising cattle. First he must build up a bankroll by hiring out to the cattle companies already established there. Earning a reputation as a top hand, as a uniquely gifted horse trainer, and as a man of his word, he becomes one of the few men in the territory whom the small ranchers can trust.
The largest herds in Wyoming belong to investors from the East and from England, who, because of the size of their herds, monopolize the “free range” guaranteed by the government. In time, these barons feel a tacit ownership of all the land, and they devise ways to exert that ownership by having the backing of powerful interests not only in local law and media, but in Washington, D. C. as well. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association is their front, and through this corrupt entity the rich owners declare themselves omnipotent. They make their own laws . . . and they enforce them.
When the Association begins to eliminate small ranchers through ghastly executions, the classic battle lines form between the rich man and the commoner. Because he is trusted, Nate Champion becomes a rallying point for the oppressed, and this leads to his name topping a list of inconvenient ranchers whom the barons want to see removed from the face of the Earth.
I have a lecture and slide presentation on Nate Champion that I have given at many Western museums around the country. I was well-received even throughout Wyoming where I was warned that tensions are still uneasy among some of these families. It was a privilege to meet some of the descendants of the "players" in the Johnson County War. I am gratified that these books have been so well received, and Nate, The Texas Story is being honored as a 2025 Will Rogers Medallion Award Winner.
Mark Warren
Nate Champion might be the most heroic figure of America’s Old West . . . and yet one of popular history’s best-kept secrets. Now he finally gets his due in my historical novel duology.
Nate's humble beginnings in Texas prepare him for a life with horses and cattle. Though a well-known horse trainer in his own time, Nate holds the simple aspiration of running his own cattle ranch, a dream he will carry to the Wyoming Territory as the Johnson County Range War drags him into its clutches and climaxes in one of the most impressive last stands of American history.
Nate, The Texas Story - Book One follows Nate’s formative years in Round Rock, Texas, where he makes his reputation as a competent cowboy and forms lasting friendships that will weave into his future in unexpected ways. Like all youth of his time, he learns the hard-won lessons of experience as he encounters both the good and the corrupt, that latter class including the notorious Sam Bass gang.
Most importantly, as he comes of age, Nate is introduced to the complexities of the feminine mystique. A smart, angelic young girl unlocks a chamber of Nate’s heart to which he has not before been privy. Her parents, however, forbid the relationship, which leads to tragedy and leaves a gaping hole in Nate’s soul.
All the life lessons that accumulate in Texas prepare Nate Champion for the immortal fame he will attain in Wyoming. His story is one that every American should know.
Nate, The Wyoming Story (book 2)
Nate Champion strikes out to Wyoming Territory and discovers the allure of the Powder River Basin as an ideal location for raising cattle. First he must build up a bankroll by hiring out to the cattle companies already established there. Earning a reputation as a top hand, as a uniquely gifted horse trainer, and as a man of his word, he becomes one of the few men in the territory whom the small ranchers can trust.
The largest herds in Wyoming belong to investors from the East and from England, who, because of the size of their herds, monopolize the “free range” guaranteed by the government. In time, these barons feel a tacit ownership of all the land, and they devise ways to exert that ownership by having the backing of powerful interests not only in local law and media, but in Washington, D. C. as well. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association is their front, and through this corrupt entity the rich owners declare themselves omnipotent. They make their own laws . . . and they enforce them.
When the Association begins to eliminate small ranchers through ghastly executions, the classic battle lines form between the rich man and the commoner. Because he is trusted, Nate Champion becomes a rallying point for the oppressed, and this leads to his name topping a list of inconvenient ranchers whom the barons want to see removed from the face of the Earth.
I have a lecture and slide presentation on Nate Champion that I have given at many Western museums around the country. I was well-received even throughout Wyoming where I was warned that tensions are still uneasy among some of these families. It was a privilege to meet some of the descendants of the "players" in the Johnson County War. I am gratified that these books have been so well received, and Nate, The Texas Story is being honored as a 2025 Will Rogers Medallion Award Winner.
Mark Warren
Mark Warren Blog
Every so often I write a blog about whatever might inspire me. They may pertain to my wilderness teachings, my books, or my personal experiences. I hope you enjoy reading them, and I look forward to y
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