Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family

Based on diary entries, news articles, published sources, interviews, and personal memories from the author and other family members, Crossing the Yellowstone: The Saga of a Montana Ranch Family is a classic American drama of challenges met and legacies left. In 1894, Andy Mercer journeyed on horseback from Missouri to the Great Plains, with plans to homestead in the West. Crossing the Yellowstone is a love story of land, family, and one man’s dream. This narrative tells a true story set in the American West in the early 20th century, illustrating the core values of the settlers: independence, determination, and respect for the land.


Andy’s love for Florrie, an English nurse, turns tragic when she dies, leaving him alone with a motherless infant, Russell. The child grows from a lonely schoolboy to a reluctant cowboy and eventually must choose whether to stay on the family ranch or strike out in search of a different life. Despite the challenges of the drought during the Dirty Thirties and the Great Depression, Andy’s legacy has endured for three generations on the Montana ranch near the Yellowstone River.