• The Western Trail

  • The Trail Drive, Book 2
  • By: Ralph Compton
  • Narrated by: Scott Sowers
  • Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (77 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Western Trail  By  cover art

The Western Trail

By: Ralph Compton
Narrated by: Scott Sowers
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $10.39

Buy for $10.39

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In the aftermath of the Civil War, cash-starved Texans turned to the only resource they possessed in abundance: longhorn cows. Despite the hazards of trailing longhorns across some three hundred miles of Indian Territory, this was the only way to access the railroad…

THE WESTERN TRAIL

Benton McCaleb and his band of bold-spirited cowboys traveled long and hard to drive thousands of ornery cattle into Wyoming's Sweetwater Valley. They're in the midst of setting up a ranch just north of Cheyenne when a ruthless railroad baron and his hired killers try to force them off the land. Now, with the help of the Shoshoni Indian tribe and a man named Buffalo Bill Cody, McCaleb and his men must vow to stand and fight. Outgunned and outmanned, they will wage the most ferocious battle of their lives—to win the right to call the land their own.

Round 'em up: listen to more in the Trail Drive series.
©1992 Ralph Compton (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Compton may very well turn out to be the greatest Western writer of them all...Very seldom in literature have the legends of the Old West been so vividly painted.” —The Tombstone Epitath

“Compton offers readers a chance to hit the trail and not end up saddle sore.” —Publishers Weekly

“Compton has hit the bull's eye.” —The Birmingham News

What listeners say about The Western Trail

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    40
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    34
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    36
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A little over the top at times.

The narrator was ok at time he could get annoying the over all story was ok. I hated how the story would would progress and at times wouldn't fill in the blanks so you had to use your imagination which defeats the purpose of listening to book I want to be entertained I don't want to figure out what the author is up to. Plain and simple he doesn't compare to Louis L'Amour

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I thought it was a very good book but I thought I’ve seen it before but I really enjoyed it anyway

One of the best western books I’ve read in a long time but I swear I seen it in iMovie just can’t remember the name of it if anybody can help me please tell me the name of the movieVery very good book I loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another Happy Ending

I'm glad that the author is staying with same characters from the Goodnight Trail it gives the book a familiar feel. I like these people
Good moral backstories


Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Printed Book is Better

I have read this book many times and thought I would try the audio version since I’m just learning to enjoy audio books. This reading does not do justice to the author’s hard work. This version is abridged and done very poorly. As a True Blue Texas Woman, I found the narrators accent to be outlandish and overly exaggerated. He did do good with getting the emotions across. I love this story and would rate the unabridged version a full 5. As it is, with so many holes left for the listener, I became very annoyed and upset. By the print version and read it yourself. It’s waaaaaaaay better!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Bad job of abridging

Any additional comments?

Bought the combined 3 books Goodnight-Western and Chisolm Trails below average westerns that are chopped up to shorten in ways that leave you asking what just happened? Reader that may be good at some books but not westerns. Not a good purchase.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!