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Fictional Cattlemen

Augustus McCrae: The Talkative Ranger of Lonesome Dove

Gus McCrae is the talker in Larry McMurtry's partnership, a former Ranger whose last request ends the drive.

Who Is Augustus McCrae?

Augustus "Gus" McCrae is the co-owner of the Hat Creek Cattle Company in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, published in 1985. Some sources spell the name McRae, and both spellings appear in print. He is a former Texas Ranger who lives in the border town of Lonesome Dove, Texas, with his partner Woodrow Call. A Texas Monthly plot summary identifies him as the talkative one of the pair.

Gus is fiction, and this profile treats him as a character in a novel. He belongs on a cattlemen's site because he, with Call, has become one of the most recognizable cattle drive partners in American writing.

Gus, Call and the Hat Creek Outfit

The partnership works because each man fills the other's gap. Call is quiet and driven. Gus is conversational and more willing to enjoy the day. The outfit also includes Joshua Deets, a Black scout, Pea Eye Parker, and young Newt Dobbs, with Dish Boggett and Jasper Fant joining later.

Gus is also tied to the women in the story. Lorena Wood wins the affection of Jake Spoon, and when she is kidnapped by the Comanche outlaw Blue Duck, it is Gus who rescues her. Separately, he visits Clara Allen, his former love, in Nebraska.

Gus on the Trail to Montana

Call is the one who insists on driving a herd to Montana, but Gus goes along. On the trip the outfit loses Sean O'Brien to snakes in the Nueces River, and Gus and Call hang Jake Spoon for horse thieving. The decision stays with Gus afterward.

The cattle-trail setting is real history. Encyclopedia.com's entry on the novel notes the famous routes of the period, such as the Goodnight-Loving Trail from west Texas to Denver. The sources reviewed do not connect Gus to any specific real cattleman. What the story does use from that history is the pace of the work: weeks on the trail, river crossings and the constant loss of animals and men to weather, snakes and attack.

What Made Gus McCrae Work

Gus works as a character because he is a foil, not a copy. He keeps the book humane in spots where Call would make it merely hard.

As a study in trail partnership, the story shows these points:

  • He balanced a more rigid partner and kept the outfit's morale up on a long trip.
  • He took responsibility for rescuing Lorena Wood from Blue Duck.
  • He accepted the hard job of hanging Jake Spoon alongside Call.
  • He looked after personal ties, including his visit to Clara Allen in Nebraska.
  • His limits showed in the end: he is mortally hurt after an attack and cannot finish the drive.

Gus's Death and the Request to Return to Texas

Deets and Gus both die after an attack by Indians. Before he dies, Gus asks Call to carry his body back to Texas, and Call reluctantly agrees. The request converts the final stretch of the book into a quieter journey about loyalty.

For many readers the scene is what defines Gus, because the talkative partner gets the last word and uses it to ask for something small. It also reverses the usual western ending. The book does not close on an arrival or a showdown but on a long ride back with a body, and the cattle business that started the trip becomes almost secondary to the promise that ends it.

Robert Duvall and the 1989 Miniseries

Robert Duvall played McRae in the 1989 miniseries, opposite Tommy Lee Jones as Call. The production won a Golden Globe for best miniseries and a Golden Globe for Duvall, and seven Emmys, with twelve more nominations, according to Encyclopedia.com.

The novel itself won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, which the same source dates to 1986. Larry McMurtry was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1936. Background on the book's publication appears in this reference entry.

Explore More Ranching History

For the real work behind stories like Gus's, see ranching coverage on farm.FM. A related farm.FM piece is a story about cowboys on the trail.

Timeline

  1. 1936Larry McMurtry is born in Wichita Falls, Texas
  2. 1985Lonesome Dove is published
  3. 1986Novel wins the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, per Encyclopedia.com
  4. 1989Miniseries airs with Robert Duvall as Gus McCrae
  5. 1989Miniseries wins seven Emmys and Golden Globes, including one for Duvall

Frequently asked questions

Who is Augustus McCrae?

Augustus McCrae, called Gus, is a fictional former Texas Ranger and co-owner of the Hat Creek Cattle Company in Larry McMurtry's novel Lonesome Dove.

Who played Gus McCrae?

Robert Duvall played Gus in the 1989 Lonesome Dove miniseries. He won a Golden Globe for the role, and the production won seven Emmys.

How does Gus McCrae die?

Gus dies after an attack by Indians on the trail, and he asks Woodrow Call to carry his body back to Texas, which Call reluctantly does.

Is McCrae spelled McRae?

Both spellings appear. Some summaries and reference entries use Gus McRae, while others, including most fan writing, use McCrae.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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