David Gatesbury

Jesse Whitson David Gatesbury

Following the War Between the States, Jesse Whitson contended with an inner struggle for being unable to find peace within himself. Soul-searching while being deeply troubled, like many looking to start a new life and pursuing a dream, he joined a cattle drive and journeyed westward. In his travels, he became a drover and, later, joined a wagon train moving west.
In Colorado, on the open range, he discovered farmers who'd acquired land through the Homestead Act. Seeing people harassed by cattle ranchers who wanted to take control of farmland to make use of it as grazing pasture for thousands of head of cattle brought back memories of how Union soldiers terrorized Southerners during the war. The ranchers used their wealth to corrupt the law for their own benefit while pressuring helpless people struggling to live off the land to move on.
When the situation was fast reaching the boiling point, Whitson made up his mind to do something about it, and through his involvement, the common farmer found hope.
Here is a story that speaks of the spirit and will of settlers migrating west and one that personifies the honor-bound lawman.