I heard tell of a “lost manuscript.” It was said this manuscript told about an important era of Eastern Oregon history. And like a gold miner who hears about a lost mine, I became obsessed with finding this manuscript.

I made phone calls, chasing down any and all leads I happened to uncover. Some were disappointing dead ends, but I followed any slim possibility until I had collected enough reliable information that the urge to get going consumed me.

I threw together my camping gear, jumped in my pickup and started the hunt in earnest.

On the second day of my travels I unearthed the mother lode. The lost manuscript was in a cardboard box, 319 typewritten pages, yellowed and brittle with age. It had been hidden from the light of day for more than a half-century.

Will this lost manuscript became the basis of a book? I don’t know.

Time will tell.

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Rick Steber is an award winning writer of contemporary western stories. To find out more about his books, including non-fiction biographies and novels, audio books and DVDs, visit his website:  Writing the West http://ricksteber.com

To purchase a copy of Rick Steber’s latest release: Red White Black: A True Story of Race and Rodeo visit: http://ricksteber.com/newreleases.html