The Legend of Colton H. Bryant

Praise for Alexandra Fuller’s The Legend of Colton H. Bryant “Incantatory.”—Carolyn See, The Washington Post“African-bred Alexandra Fuller has a feel for wildness—of a country or of a man. With the breathtaking bravado of a western windstorm, Fuller charges straight inside the mind of an American innocent, a restless cowboy with cornflower blue eyes. . . . Set this real-life hero within a landscape of oil rigs in a culture of corporate greed, and you have The Legend of Colton H. Bryant, a loving, raging portrait of the untamed but endangered American West.”—Cathleen Medwick, O, The Oprah Magazine“[The Legend of Colton H. Bryant]—set in [Fuller’s] new home, the high plains of Wyoming—hangs so faultlessly on its high-altitude, big-sky, oil-drilling bones that it seems not so much to have been written as uncovered by the wind and weather of the American north-west.”—The Economist“Fuller creates an iconic cowboy from his friends’ and family’s memories. Her writing is poetry.”—Sarah Peasley, Rocky Mountain News“A latter day Silkwood, quiet and understated, beautifully written, speaking volume about the priorities of the age.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“A gentle, understated book that effectively muckrakes at the same time it portrays a living and dying symbol of the oil rigs.”—Dennis Lythgoe, Deseret News“Moving . . . By the time Bryant meets his demise, you may just find yourself fighting tears.”—Entertainment Weekly“A poignant portrait of an extraordinary ordinary roughneck . . . Fuller nails dialogue and the disdain for self pity endemic in the West.”—Johanna Love, Jackson Hole News & Guide“Extraordinary . . . I still feel heartsick a few weeks after finishing it. . . . How can you read this tender, troubling book and go out and fill your car with gas, and not care about the men who risk their lives to provide that energy?”—Jenny Shank, New West“Fuller’s deeply moving celebration of Colton’s life is bursting with humor, love, and tragedy, like all that is best in life, and without ever having met him, you won’t soon forget Colton H. Bryant.”—Ian Chipman, Booklist (starred review)PENGUIN BOOKSTHE LEGEND OF COLTON H. BRYANTAlexandra Fuller was born in England in 1969. In 1972, she moved with her family to a farm in southern Africa. She lived in Africa until her mid-twenties. In 1994, she moved to Wyoming with her husband. They have three children.ALSO BY ALEXANDRA FULLERScribbling the Cat: Travels with an African SoldierDon’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African ChildhoodCocktail Hour Under the Tree of ForgetfulnessTable of ContentsPraise for Alexandra Fuller’s The Legend of Colton H. BryantAbout the AuthorTitle PageCopyright PageDedicationFEED JAKECast of Characters PART ONEA WESTERNCOLTON AND THE KMART COWBOYSPRESTON AND COLTON, HUNTINGBILL’S PHILOSOPHY OF HORSE BREAKINGBILL AND COLTONIN THE BEGINNINGCATTLE DRIVEGOOSE HUNTING WITH JAKE, COLTON, AND CODYJAKEJAKEJAKE AND COLTONRUNNING FREEBILL’S PHILOSOPHY OF HUNTINGLOOKING FOR COCOAFIREWOODCOCOAGRADUATIONBULL RIDINGPARADISE ROADDRILLING ON THE RIGSANATOMY OF AN OIL PATCHFLOW TESTINGTHE ASTRO LOUNGETRAIN STOPPINGCOLTON AND CHASEKAYLEE’S PHILOSOPHY OF DRUGSFIREWORKSDRIVING ALL DAYPATTERSON-UTI DRILLINGDRIVING ALL DAY AND NIGHTMARRIEDDRILLINGTHANKSGIVINGA SERIOUS LIFEMARRIAGE AND ROUGHNECKINGTHE DEATH OF LEROY FRIEDDAKOTA JUSTUS BRYANTCOLTON QUITSCOLTON WORKS IN EVANSTONMINUS THIRTY-FIVE PART TWOTHE DAY BEFORE VALENTINE’S DAYCUMBERLAND CEMETERYVALENTINE’S EVENINGFREE FALLJAKE DRIVING ALL DAYPATTERSON-UTI DRILLINGTOUGH ANGELRAINBOWA MILLION-DOLLAR PERSONALITYEVANSTON CEMETERYCOLTJAKE AND COLTON Author’s NoteAcknowledgmentsFor Dakota and Nathanial Because of C.H.B. From Justice to Forgiveness