Platte Valley Saddle Shop
“Dad always told me that if you do something you don’t like, throw it under the bench.”
— Lyle Henderson
The Chevy box truck labored up another hill. In 1928, some of the roads in western Nebraska were in name only. The region was not called “the Sandhills” for nothing, and Elmus Henderson hoped he would not have to pull the planks out of the back to give the tires some traction. He looked over at his assistant, who was slumped on the passenger side. Elmus knew from the man’s choice of refreshments that he probably wouldn’t be much help this evening. The truck reached the crest of the hill and the vast, softly rolling terrain spread out as far as Elmus could see. Some folks called this the best cattle grazing range in the world; but in the setting sun, it resembled an infinitely wrinkled blanket spread out on a bed. Ahead lay two weeks of work on the U Cross Ranch.
By the next morning, Elmus was open for business. The U Cross ran 1200 head of horses and that could generate a lot of broken leather. His
