No man can be understood except against the background of his own time. The characters in "Showdown on the Hogback" lived in a time and place when workdays were long, living conditions were harsh, and the work itself was brutally hard. Yet they expected nothing more. At least they had fresh air.
Conditions in eastern cities were worse in many respects. Trade unions either did not exist or were fighting for acceptance, and sweatshop conditions prevailed everywhere. Sanitary conditions were just as primitive as in the West, only with less clean air and sunlight.
The western man grew up fighting to protect the land he claimed and the cattle he drove. There was no policeman to call; he learned not to call for help because there was nobody to listen. He saddled his own broncs, and he fought his own battles
(Above is the Author's Note to Showdown on the Hogback, by Louis L'Amour)
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