{"product_id":"riding-on-a-train-goin-west","title":"Riding on a Train Goin' West","description":"\u003cp\u003eR. Smith's graphic novel, Riding on a Train Goin' West, knits together three true Western tales from 100 years ago-including local Montana and Idaho lore about murder, wildfires, and desolation. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt recalls to modern memory the thousand Eastern European immigrants who toiled to dig a railroad tunnel through the Bitterroot Mountains in the early 1900's. A bygone era when small towns like Taft, Wallace, and Avery prospered and let loose-before they fell off the map again. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first tale, set in 1907, follows the lawless, booming railroad town of Taft, Montana, dubbed \"the wickedest city in America.\" A Montenegrin immigrant leader (known as \"The King\") is murdered by a railroad foreman, which sparks a deadly ethnic feud. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe second story is set in Wallace, Idaho in 1910. It documents a massive wildfire event known as the Big Burn. It chronicles the efforts of early U.S. Forest Service rangers and immigrant firefighters to survive the huge, multi-state inferno. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe final story, set in Avery, Idaho in 1971, describes the struggles and misadventures of a later generation of wildland firefighters living and working in an Idaho backcountry that has seen better days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eR. Smith worked for five years as a firefighter himself before forging a career in journalism covering Silicon Valley. This is his first historical graphic novel. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Found Art Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46233097895983,"sku":"9781966297017","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/2855\/6847\/files\/imageloader_11069cb1-dc23-469e-9297-cc1d19ea1fab.jpg?v=1789992010","url":"https:\/\/tssbooks.com\/products\/riding-on-a-train-goin-west","provider":"tssbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}