The Chronicles of Tap

The Chronicles of Tap is a true story of the life of a cowboy, Tap Duncan, born in the heart of Texas in 1869. The story tells of certain struggles in his life that marked him to be the great man he became. Much of this story is from old journals found in the attic of a house the author purchased in 1981. Journals written by his great uncle Chet, an old bachelor who wrote these stories down in an effort to bring animation to his otherwise lonely winter nights in his home in Three Creek, Idaho, told of the lives of adventure that the cattlemen that he knew and that were his family. This amazing story tells of Tap Duncan;s brother being hanged in Eagle Pass, Texas in 1891 accused of a murder he didn't commit. Tap and his brothers quietly investigate and then "Take Care" of the real murderers. Then they leave Texas for the Idaho. All is well and Tap finds fulfilling employment with one of the largest ranches in the west. Meanwhile, another rancher and good friend of Tap's, Ira Brackett from Colorado is having struggles of his own in Denver. He moves to Three Creek Idaho and the friendship the two men had formed earlier is solidified by their love of the horses and ranching. There is however more than horse that binds the lives of these men together..Ira also had a brother who was killed unjustly in a small place near Denver Colorado. After a bar fight in a little cow town called Bruneau, Idaho, Tap is again needing to find a new place to live. He moves his wife and children to the Mohave area of Arizona and begins a ranching legacy of his own. A few years later a bank robbery invitation comes his way and he recruits his friend Ira to "handle the horses" at the bank. Ira can't be swayed to help by the promise of money but when Tap explains to him about "taking care" of the men in Eagle Pass, Texas who framed his brother it is and offer that Ira can't refuse. This book is a compilation of the old papers that we found from Great Uncle Chet, Family lore and Research that we have done over the last several years. This story is about strong people conquering their place in the west, about families loving each other and staying together, and about friendship deeper than blood. It is a family history, in living animation. A western of epic proportions. We truly hope that you will enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.
About the Author: The authors, Chet and Kim Brackett ranch in Three Creek, Idaho. Near the homestead that Tap Duncan claimed as his own in 1892. Chet purchased the old rock house that is mentioned in the book in 1989 and found the papers that make up a large part of the manuscript of the book. At the time he found them he knew he had a treasure but the constraints of paying for a ranch, raising a family, and building a future made him put the papers aside hoping one day to find the time to really do something with them. A few years ago, however we had a celebration for what would have been his father's 100th birthday. At that reunion it occurred to him that the stories that his great uncle had left needed to be told. So we began ever so gently taking the stories and reading the writings. Those stories were incredible. Those people, our people, who had previously only been a name and a date, dry bones to us..began to gather sinew and flesh and before we knew it, they seemed alive to us. We understood why Uncle Chet would write them down as his entertainment for the long and lonely evenings in Three Creek. We began a journey to find more to the stories. We have been to Arizona where Tap owned a ranching empire that covered 1,4 million acres. We have been to Texas in places such as San Saba and Eagle Pass looking for more information about our people. We had already found the stories that gave animation to our folks but now we started to find stories that gave them heart. We found how kind and generous a man Tap Duncan was as we sat o hear stories of how he would leave a beef at the local yards for the hungry families to use to feed their own in the depression. We found that he fostered the artistic talents of creative geniuses such as Will James and Buster Keaton and even Louis L'Amour. The finding of these stories and the people we have met along the way has enriched our lives in so many ways. We hope the reading of this book will touch your life and inspire you to connect to your people.