High Desert Promise is the story of a pioneer family, the Skinners, whose founding father, Silas Skinner, left the high seas as a mariner, first to become a miner, and then to establish a cattle ranch on the high desert plains of Jordan Valley, Oregon. In the ensuing years and generations, the Skinners would leave an indelible impression on the region, building roads, breeding horses, softening the rough edges on wilderness life with the amenities of culture, widening its horizons through staunch advocacy of education and innovative techniques of farming as they set examples of environmental responsibility and helped establish land management policies. It is the story, above all, of a family with heart and vision, enduring the rough times of bitter winters, Indian wars, crooked land agents, the Great Depression and World Wars, but always with determination and hope, prospering in good times with intelligence, good will, and hard work. This is their history, told with horse sense, humor, the soul of a poet, and love for neighbor, family and the land. This is the High Desert Promise of the Skinners. -- Jacket.