The Wilderness Beckons

A desire to record and preserve for future generations dangerous incidents that actually happened to my pioneering forebears led to the
writing of this book. They happened in a raw new land more than a century past.
This is a novel written around those incidents. I have taken license to weave them together and expand on them to create an interesting story rather than record them as historical fact. The actual occurrences that form the nuclei of the story The chase of Zeb to his doorstep by the mountain lion, the occupation of the abandoned farm by the old lion and his subsequent meeting, face to face, with John on the trail, the capture alive of the cow killing lion and the frightening discovery of the hanging man. Grandma's escape from the lion was true as was the raccoon hunting episode. The terrible strength of the grizzly bear was true as told in the story. The method used by an older cousin to capture lions was the way he actually did it. He truly did 'bring 'em back alive'.
Most wild animals in North America, including predators, fear and prefer to avoid man. There are some exceptions. Notable among them are the grizzly bear, moose and wolverine. Also to be respected are mothers with young, predators that are old or crippled and unable to hunt effectively, and almost any animal that feels trapped. Even a mouse will fight for his life!

As civilization intrudes more and more into the animal's natural habitat they become more accustomed to the presence of man and, therefore, less afraid of close encounters. So....when you find yourself in isolated areas, or even in your own back yard, WATCH OUT! It could happen to you!