The family and friends of Tim Crawley left good jobs and homes in the east headed for California to get rich overnight in the gold fields. The country had a fever gold fever. Their two wagons were attacked by Indians, and all were scalped and killed except Tim. He was captured and lived with the Indians for over two years. Tim finally escaped but had to live off the land hunting, trapping, and fishing until taken in by a ranch family. They had two children just becoming teenagers like himself. After some schooling and filling the life of a ranch hand for three years, Tim got the urge for the high, cold country to trap and live free. He learned to use the club for a great weapon and the rattlesnake against his enemies. He survived by his wits. Being beaten, shot and left for dead, he always bounced back and held his own with his attackers. After stealing some weapons to survive, Tim kept moving to the high country, to north Colorado near the Wyoming border. He found what he looked for all his life beautiful valley with deep grass for cattle and a mountain stream through the middle. There were beaver dams as far as the eye could see. Bountiful fur animals were there for the taking. His pack mule was already loaded with traps of all sizes. He looked at the stream with little patches of ice around the edges as the sun struggled to raise its head in the east. He knew he wanted to call this place home with the girl he left at the ranch. He just didn't realize the price he had to pay before he could call it his own.
