In the 1870s, Will Andrews, a young Harvard student from Boston, leaves his scholarly life behind in search of adventure. He travels to the fictional frontier town of Butcher’s Crossing, Kansas, which thrives on the buffalo hide trade. Will is captivated by the romanticism of going on a buffalo hunt and seeks out McDonald, a former acquaintance of his father’s who runs the buffalo trade in the town. When McDonald refuses to help, Will joins forces with Miller, an intense and experienced buffalo hunter. Miller spins a tale of a remote Colorado pass where one of the last massive buffalo herds can be found. Despite warnings about Miller’s reputation and the risks involved, Will invests all his money to fund the expedition. The journey to the mountain pass is grueling, and Will, unaccustomed to such hardships, faces physical and mental challenges. Along the way, they encounter difficulties that test their resolve. Eventually, they reach the untouched herd of thousands of buffalo, and Will is both ecstatic and awed by the beautiful nature surrounding them. Butcher’s Crossing explores themes of adventure, wilderness, and the human spirit against the backdrop of the American West. The novel, originally published in 1960, delves into the complexities of human desire and the pursuit of something greater than oneself.
