{"id":842078,"date":"2026-10-17T01:36:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T01:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/?p=842078"},"modified":"2026-10-17T01:36:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T01:36:03","slug":"new-memoir-from-the-river-to-the-range-chronicles-a-life-split-between-mississippi-river-towboats-and-western-cattle-ranches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/new-memoir-from-the-river-to-the-range-chronicles-a-life-split-between-mississippi-river-towboats-and-western-cattle-ranches_842078.html","title":{"rendered":"New Memoir \u201cFrom the River to the Range\u201d Chronicles a Life Split Between Mississippi River Towboats and Western Cattle Ranches"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"New<\/a><\/div>\n
Author Donald Nations releases a first-person memoir told in the voice of Sam Schropp, who spent nearly four decades living two extraordinary lives at once, as a towboat captain and a cowboy.<\/div>\n

Saint Charles, Missouri, USA – October 17, 2026 –<\/strong> Author Donald Nations announces the release of his debut memoir, From the River to the Range<\/em>, a true American story told in the voice of Sam Schropp, a man who spent nearly four decades making a living as a towboat captain on America’s inland waterways while making a life as working cowboy on national forest land and open ranges in the American West.<\/p>\n

Shaped by Nations from years of conversations with Schropp, the book follows a life lived in two demanding, seemingly unrelated worlds. As a towboat pilot, Schropp memorized hundreds of miles of river bends, sandbars, and shifting currents on the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, and Tennessee Rivers, working six-hour shifts around the clock during 28-day tours while piloting 1,800-ton towboats through violent storms and unforgiving currents. During his weeks off, he traded the wheelhouse for the saddle, leading a 30-mule pack train into Wyoming’s Washakie Wilderness for elk hunters, roping bulls, branding cattle, and working national forest allotments and open ranges alongside cattlemen in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.<\/p>\n

Bottom of the page, let’s not forget about the AUDIO BOOK:<\/p>\n

From the River to the Range is available now in eBook, paperback, hardcover, and Audio Book editions.<\/p>\n

Bottom of the page, let’s not forget about the AUDIO BOOK:<\/p>\n

From the River to the Range is available now in eBook, paperback, hardcover, and Audio Book editions.<\/p>\n

The memoir moves through more than 24 chapters spanning Schropp’s early days as an 18-year-old deckhand on the Golden Eagle Ferry, the last paddle-wheel ferry on the Mississippi, through near-disasters on the river, run-ins with bears in grizzly country, a cowboy funeral, and the physical toll of decades split between two of America’s most demanding trades. An epilogue reflects on Schropp’s later years, including his appointment as a New Mexico county commissioner and his and his wife’s move to Costa Rica.<\/p>\n

“Sam is a matter-of-fact storyteller who loves to weave historical and worldly detail into the experiences he’s lived,” Nations writes in the foreword. “This book is more than a memoir. It is a tribute to the men and women who built their lives far from comfort and convention.”<\/p>\n

Nations, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, spent ten years as a newspaper reporter, photographer, and news editor before moving into corporate communications and technical writing. He and Schropp grew up together in St. Charles, Missouri, and reconnected decades later, a friendship that led directly to this book. Nations lives in St. Charles with his wife, Marcia, and their dog, Twyla.<\/p>\n

About The Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Donald Nations<\/strong>, a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, has spent a lifetime telling stories as a reporter, photographer, editor, corporate communicator, and technical writer. His passion for writing and the American West took an unexpected turn when he reconnected with his high school classmate, Sam Schropp. During a visit to Sam’s ranch in Estancia, New Mexico, Sam offered a simple suggestion: “Why don’t you write a book about me?” That question became the inspiration for this book, a story of friendship, memories, and the enduring spirit of the American West.<\/p>\n

From the River to the Range is available now in eBook, paperback, and hardcover editions.<\/p>\n

eBook ISBN: 979-8-90254-582-8<\/p>\n

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-90254-581-1<\/p>\n

Hardcover ISBN: 979-8-90254-580-4<\/p>\n

Learn more and order online at donaldnations.com<\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/span>
Company Name:<\/strong> Luminari Books<\/a>
Contact Person:<\/strong> Peter Spencer
Email:<\/strong> Send Email<\/a>
Phone:<\/strong> 1 (408) 359-7982
Address:<\/strong>1415 W North St #421
City:<\/strong> Anaheim
State:<\/strong> CA
Country:<\/strong> United States
Website:<\/strong> https:\/\/luminaribooks.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Donald Nations releases a first-person memoir told in the voice of Sam Schropp, who spent nearly four decades living two extraordinary lives at once, as a towboat captain and a cowboy. Saint Charles, Missouri, USA – October 17, 2026 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[448,404,416],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-842078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Books-Literature","category-US","category-World"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}