City of Gold

Weeks after arriving in Colorado to start a new farm, the Hollowell family is looking at disaster when fifteen-year-old Owen witnesses the theft of their mules. Learning that Hercules and Peaches will likely be sold to the mines, Owen sets out to track the rustler over the mountains. It’s all Ma can do to hold back little brother Till, who’s more than a handful.

The outlaw’s trail leads to Telluride, the turbulent “City of Gold.” Owen gets help from a resourceful girl named Molly and dubious assistance from Till, who shows up on the train from Durango.

Telluride’s notorious marshal finally takes an interest when he identifies the rustler as one of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. The lawman leads Owen and Till on horseback into the canyon country and all the way to Robbers Roost.

For readers who love adventure and humor, Will Hobbs delivers a stirring tale of two brothers who risk it all to recover their mules and secure their future.

Two brothers, one notorious marshal, and a trail that leads straight to the most famous outlaws in the West.

• Historical Fiction for Kids: Travel back to the twilight of the Wild West, from the rugged San Juan Mountains to the turbulent mining town of Telluride.
• Outlaws and Lawmen: When fifteen-year-old Owen’s family mules are stolen, he finds himself in an uneasy alliance with a notorious town marshal to track down a dangerous rustler.
• Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch: The trail gets hotter when the thief is identified as a member of the West’s most infamous gang, leading the boys on a chase all the way to Robbers Roost.
• Family Bonds: To save his family’s future, Owen and his firecracker younger brother Till must risk everything to bring their beloved mules, Hercules and Peaches, home.