Content warning: This section of the guide discusses violence against Indigenous people. 

Set against the backdrop of rural Colorado in the early 20th century, Father and I Were Ranchers explores frontier life, the American Dream, and the transformation of the West through the eyes of young Ralph Moody and his Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age genre that follows a character’s development from childhood to adulthood. The story follows Ralph’s family as they relocate from industrialized New England to Bear Creek Valley, Colorado, joining a wave of settlers pursuing opportunities on the Western frontier. This migration mirrors broader patterns of American expansionism and homesteading during the era, driven by the promise of land and economic prosperity.

In the early 19th century, settlers began exploring westward, and Colorado became a key location for fur trading posts and military bases. By 1858, gold deposits were found close to present-day downtown Denver, which instigated the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Soon after, settlement camps emerged in various regions throughout the state. Because news of gold in the Rockies spread fast, roughly 5,000 prospectors came to Colorado every week. Deposits were soon exhausted, with the gold rush peaking around 1900.