Riley O'Zerbe

The Wandering Man in the Grande Ronde Valley Riley O'Zerbe

This is the first installment of the memoirs of Mike Keller, born in West Virginia, lived in Michigan and the West. This installment recounts Mikes days in Union and Baker Counties Oregon in the late 1860's and 1870. The book discusses some events in the life of Mike Keller, who wandered many parts of the country, including the Oregon Territory, in the late 1860s and 1870. It integrates an action story with history. When Mike Keller came to eastern Oregon looking for his friends, they weren't there. To find them he would have to involve himself in a cattle range war against the king of the area, a big tough, brutal man with great wealth. The Grande Ronde Valley was a paradise turned into a hell. What kind of people would be left when this war was ended and would Keller be one of them? Riley O'Zerbe is an outdoorsman and athlete, and one who has roamed the eastern Oregon hills on horseback and on foot. Born in the hills of West Virginia he has ranked among the top three runners in the country at 5000 meters and was the second American to finish the 35 kilometer cross country race at the Masters World Cup in France.