Last Ranch in Hells Canyon: Further Adventures of the Mantle Family

The Last Ranch in Hells Canyon is a story of love and adventure. The Mantle Ranch was homesteaded in 1926 by newlyweds Charley and Evelyn Mantle. It was situated deep in the mysterious, isolated canyons of the Yampa River. It was so removed from civilization that there was no electricity, telephone, running water, nor even a road. Horses were used for everything. Educating their five children was the most challenging thing Charley and Evelyn Mantle faced, but their determination never faltered. When the five Mantle children were raised and educated Charley Mantle broke free from the burdens of the ranch. He had read of the great plains of Brasil, where a man could run more cattle than he could count on belly-deep grass and sweet waterholes, with none of winter's cold and snow. He tied up his saddle, bridle, and lariat rope together with a small valise, pulled down his hat, and boarded a plane for South America. His letters home of his adventures are a part of this book. Evelyn Mantle made a whole new life for herself off the ranch. The five Mantle children battled for their right to live the western life that was their heritage on the Mantle Ranch. Those battles even took them into the high Federal courts of America.

Queeda Mantle Walker was born at a neighboring ranch when her mother's horse stumbled as they were traveling the forty miles to Vernal Utah for the anticipated birth of their baby in a hospital. She has always lived the life of a western rancher. Proud of her family and the life they literally wrenched from the wilderness for themselves and their children, she wanted to tell their story. Her first book, The Mantle Ranch a Family's Joys and Sorrows in the Beautiful, Remote Yampa River Canyon was published in 2005. Still with a story to tell, The Last Ranch in Hells Canyon became necessary to finish the story of her parent's lives. They were exciting, hardcore westerners who lived their lives to the fullest. Queeda with her husband, Rex Walker, and brother Pat Mantle created the Sombrero Ranches, a horse rental business with many locations in Colorado. Since Queeda retired from that work she lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has been able to pursue her love of writing.