In the 1980s, Judy Alsager moved upriver from the Gang Ranch to a 130-acre certified organic farm on the banks of the Fraser River, halfway between Williams Lake and Quesnel. Her 1994 history of the Gang Ranch recounted ten years of court battles and bankruptcies, a divorce and raising her four children.

From Judy Alsager's promotional materials:

"Gang Ranch the Real Story is filled with the elements of a great western movie - intrigue, cattle theft, corruption, embezzlement, and court battles."-Gail Farrar, Williams Lake Tribune

"Gang Ranch the Real Story is a true account of the tragedy that transpired due to a malfunctioning legal system that allowed a Canadian-owned heritage asset to be placed into the hands of out-of-country billionaires. It should be read by every politician across Canada with shame.

"In 1978, the Alsager family purchased the famous million-acre cattle empire sprawling over a large portion of the southern interior grasslands and alpine mountain areas of British Columbia's Cariboo region. Their ownership of the Ranch stretched over tumultuous times that would lead to unbelievable situations. Along with the bad times were exciting and vision-filled accounts of the back country, the cowboy life, the day-to-day workings of a monstrous cattle ranch. The book has an attractive 64-page color section.

"Judy Alsager, one of the owners, takes us on a sincere and moving journey of breathtaking scenic images through the tumultuous times that saw the Ranch rise proudly from its previously comatose state to once again become a thriving, exciting operation. She shares with us the heartache and desperation of the Alsager family as a bizarre series of events brought the Gang Ranch toppling down without warning, thrusting them into an alien labyrinth of legal and banking malfunctions. This is an honest account of what actually transpired to tear the Alsager family apart, and how the Gang Ranch was wrestled away from this family's grasp, resulting in the tragic loss of one of Canada's grandest and most historic assets.

"The book was a bestseller and still is - sold over 10,000 copies with a month of the first printing. While it has been introduced in many school classes, Gang Ranch the Real Story has been considered as movie material by numerous producers."

BOOKS about the Gang Ranch are:

Gang Ranch, The Real Story (Hancock House, 1994), by Judy Alsager (ISBN 09682883-0-8). Since self-published in 1994 by Judy Alsager under her own imprint, Bluedoor Publishing, $22.95 (ISBN 978-0-9682883-0-6)

The Incredible Gang Ranch (Hancock House, 1989), by Dale Alsager (ISBN 0-88839-211-7)

[BCBW 2010] "Ranching"