Book Description

FF Blachly's newly-discovered memoir from the late 19th century brings us an intimate view of his family's survival on the western slope of the Colorado Rockies, offering a remarkably detailed look at an historically-important era of the American Frontier. In 1880, when this story begins, land recently stolen from the Ute Indians, was being turned into ranches, farms, mines, and towns by white settlers who depended on horses for transportation and farming, while cowboys, grizzly bears and outlaws still roamed free. In 1893, a family tragedy involving the notorious McCarty Gang left the author at the age of 13 responsible for the welfare of his mother and seven brothers. His story is full of adventure, heartbreaking setbacks, and struggles against extreme poverty. Yet, in spite of seemingly insurmountable adversities, he and his family were blessed with a wealth of spirit, good health, intelligence, and wit that carried them through the hardest of times. In My First Life, Blachly takes us back in time, while painting an intimate portrait of the human experience that is both timeless and universal. It is a story that will touch the heart of every reader.