A true story of life as a cowboy, hailed by Larry McMurtry as "a lovely memoir of a world—or at least a West—that no longer exists."

At age thirteen, Dayton Hyde, a spirited beanpole of a boy, ran away from home in Michigan to Yamsi, his uncle's ranch in eastern Oregon. This was in the 1930s, and Yamsi was one of the last great cattle ranches of the West. Soon the boy, nicknamed "Hawk," was riding a horse, soaking up ranch life from the hired hands, and winning the cowboys' respect.
A natural bronco buster, he eventually became a rodeo rider, bull fighter, clown, and photographer, working all over the West with the likes of Slim Pickens, Rex Allen, and Mel Lambert—all of whom went on to careers in Hollywood—and selling pictures to Life magazine.
After fighting in the Second World War, he took over the reins at Yamsi, ensuring its survival in changing times, and made it his personal mission to save the precious few wild horses that still roamed America.

Now, half a century later, he gives us an ode to that last great period of the Old West. Full of humor, rollicking stories, and love of the land, Pastures of Beyond pays homage to the cowboys, Indians, and great horses that made the West the legend it is today.

"As wistful as it is humorous, this salty memoir is also an elegy for a bygone era."—Publishers Weekly, starred review