Child of Steens Mountain, an autobiography by Eileen O’Keeffe McVicker with Barbara J. Scot, is an enlightening account of living on a sheep ranch in the late 1920s through the 1940s. A detailed forward written by historian Richard W. Etulain provides information about the geological history and early human habitants of the Steens Mountain region in southeastern Oregon.

Eileen O’Keeffe, the oldest of three children, was born in 1927 to an Irish immigrant sheep rancher and a school teacher. Eileen’s childhood was a fantasy, a life few children today could even dream about. The natural grandeur of mountain and valleys was her playground. Eileen delighted in picking buckets of wildflowers for her mother. The children had responsibilities, primarily tending sheep, but for them romping after the sheep in fields of sagebrush and juniper was pure joy. Of course, they had to learn how to avoid rattlesnakes and stay clear of rabid coyotes. But Eileen, together with highly trained dogs, trailed sheep, knowing the importance and value of her watchful care.

The children attended elementary school in the small hamlet of Fields, five miles from their ranch. Later, they attended high school in Burns, 130 miles from home. Since her parents were still running the ranch, Eileen and her brother John stayed in Burns by themselves in a little rented house with no running water. On most weekends, her parents would come to visit them and leave food for the coming week.

When Eileen meets Gene, a hired hand at a neighboring ranch, their relationship becomes serious, and her parents’ trust and faith in their daughter’s good judgement falters. Although Eileen was raised to be independent and responsible, her relationship with Gene threatens to break up the loving family.

In an afterword, writer Barbara J. Scot, McVicker’s friend and neighbor, describes how the two collaborated in writing Child of Steens Mountain. Scot effectively helped organize the kaleidoscope of Eileen’s memories into a readable and entertaining story.

My husband and I have camped at Steens Mountain, watched sheep herders and their amazing dogs, driven through Fields, and have spent time in Burns, so visiting these places again through the eyes of the author was a delight.

I highly recommend Child of Steens Mountain to those who love the outdoors, enjoy learning about old-time ranch life, and who appreciate a good story.