York's Ride

A Novel of Old California

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Pub Date Mar 25 2025 | Archive Date Mar 31 2025

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Description

In 1914, most of the world is focused on The Great War, but a much quieter story is taking place in a remote mountain region in northern California and western Nevada with the tale of two twelve-year-old boys and a legendary, wild horse from the desert. The stallion, Meshuga—part mustang and part giant Percheron draft —is a stallion so strong that he becomes a mythical, inspirational fable. Meshuga is destined to compete in a long-distance race through the mountains and valleys against the nation’s best Arabian horses.

Jim, an orphan, has moved to the West to live on his Uncle Martin and Aunt Hanna’s ranch in the small, post-Gold Rush town of Taylorsville where the Sierra Nevada meets the Cascades. Mostly, Jim doesn’t miss his family farm in Missouri, and when he’s not doing ranch chores, he spends his time fly-fishing on nearby Indian Creek. This is where he first encounters York, a local boy from the Maidu tribe, and the two become fast friends. Jim and York soon meet up with Blind Charlie, a famous Maidu elder storyteller, who fills their heads with ancestral myths and legends.

After the untimely death of York, Meshuga’s caretaker, Jim is suddenly moved to take responsibility for the great black mustang and become part of Blind Charlie’s prophecies. With York gone, Jim must fulfill what his friend knew all along—that he and Meshuga would learn to conquer the challenge of the race of the century. A romantic novel of the Old West imbued with rich historical details, York’s Ride is a complex and beautiful tale about family relationships and coming-of-age in early twentieth-century California.

In 1914, most of the world is focused on The Great War, but a much quieter story is taking place in a remote mountain region in northern California and western Nevada with the tale of two...


A Note From the Publisher

Keywords:

horseracing
ranching
California
Flyfishing
Country life
Teens
Rattlesnake
Painting
Artwork
Myths
Legends
Bones
Skulls
Parental relationships
Nature
Volcano
Maidu storyteller
Maidu culture
Maidu elders

Keywords:

horseracing
ranching
California
Flyfishing
Country life
Teens
Rattlesnake
Painting
Artwork
Myths
Legends
Bones
Skulls
Parental relationships
Nature
Volcano
Maidu...


Advance Praise

York's Ride lives and breathes the essence of Old California. Michael Dennis Cassity immerses you a world of Native Americans, settlers, gold, art, literature, snake bites, ranching, dreams, and losses. The payoff of this engagingly written tale is an endurance horse race which keeps you guessing. York's Ride is historical fiction and Cassity earns high praise for getting it right. A wonderful book.”

—John B. Wright, geographer, conservationist, and author of Fire Scars: A Novel 

York's Ride lives and breathes the essence of Old California. Michael Dennis Cassity immerses you a world of Native Americans, settlers, gold, art, literature, snake bites, ranching, dreams, and...


Marketing Plan

  • Maidu lore and myth
  • Early California history
  • Ranching fiction, cattle drives
  • Storytelling, new and ancient
  • Life in the West in the early 1900s
  • Friendship between two opposing cultures


  • Maidu lore and myth
  • Early California history
  • Ranching fiction, cattle drives
  • Storytelling, new and ancient
  • Life in the West in the early 1900s
  • Friendship between two opposing cultures



Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781647791834
PRICE $24.00 (USD)
PAGES 239

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Featured Reviews

It is a great adventure story for those who love horses and the Old West. It is well-written and will transport you to that period, making you feel like you are present in the story.

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