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 – Author Donald Nations announces the release of his debut memoir, From the River to the Range, 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.

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.

Bottom of the page, let’s not forget about the AUDIO BOOK:

From the River to the Range is available now in eBook, paperback, hardcover, and Audio Book editions.

Bottom of the page, let’s not forget about the AUDIO BOOK:

From the River to the Range is available now in eBook, paperback, hardcover, and Audio Book editions.

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.

“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.”

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.

About The Author

Donald Nations, 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.

From the River to the Range is available now in eBook, paperback, and hardcover editions.

eBook ISBN: 979-8-90254-582-8

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-90254-581-1

Hardcover ISBN: 979-8-90254-580-4

Learn more and order online at donaldnations.com

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Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com

To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: New Memoir “From the River to the Range” Chronicles a Life Split Between Mississippi River Towboats and Western Cattle Ranches

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