"Ranching in the Tetons" is the story of murder, kidnapping, rustling, romance and raucous acts of nature. Zackary Waterman's Circle W Ranch and the Bar B Ranch of Jedidiah Berg are adjoining ranches in a high Valley of the Teton Mountain Range. The beauty of the high mountain valley masks activity of rustlers and high winds that damage buildings and take lives. Snow storms and blizzards strand ranchers and livestock. But when one ranch hand dies it looks like more is at play than just Mother Nature.
Follow the romance of Jed and Zac from college days to the present. Read the chilling story of Debbie Hawks, a young woman from South Dakota, that solves the murder of a ranch hand.
James Berger is a retired, 86 year old Engineer/Manager who writes family histories, life stories & books. He also loves photography, woodworking and fly fishing.
James grew up on a ranch in Teton Valley, Idaho where he was helping his father with ranch work by age 11. He used a tractor to plow and prepare the soil for planting oats used to feed horses and other livestock on their ranch as well as mowing hay and helping to gather, bale or stack it. During his life he has witnessed the end of horse power use on farms and ranches.
James has been a photographer for as long as he can remember, acquiring over 6000 images of family and the outdoors in Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Montana, and Washington. His favorite pastime since his retirement in 1997 has been to photograph the Teton Mountain Range from near too far, east to west, and north to south. He has sold some of his photographs, but places family and friends ahead of paying customers.
James spent nearly 39 years working as an Engineer/Manager in the nuclear industry. During that time he wrote over 18 technical papers that were accepted for journal publication and oral presentation, largely at Professional Society Meetings. He traveled to England, Scotland, Switzerland, France and Germany for the presentation of these papers. His technical writing includes books, documents, and reports.
His wife, Blythe Berger, a retired middle school teacher, helped James make the transition from technical to fiction and non-fiction writing, and she edits his books.
James started writing about his experiences growing up in Teton Valley Idaho at an early age. He expanded by writing travel logs for major travel events including foreign travel for business. One of his favorite travel subjects is the Palouse area encompassing parts of Washington and Idaho. This is an area formed by the "Great Flood" and dust storms occurring over millions of years. The results are miles and miles of rolling hills of fertile soil where wheat and other legumes are grown depending primarily on rain for moisture.
