The Worst Hard Time

The Worst Hard Time

by

Timothy Egan

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A member of the James family, which was “one of the last big ranching families.” Due to bankruptcy, he had been forced to sell off a large section of the family ranch, located south of Dalhart, Texas and extending into both the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The family retained one section of the ranch and tried, unsuccessfully, to dig for oil. At the end of World War I, James had 250,000 acres of land for cattle-ranching.
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Andy James Character Timeline in The Worst Hard Time

The timeline below shows where the character Andy James appears in The Worst Hard Time. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: No Man's Land
Westward Expansion and the Settlement of the Southern Plains Theme Icon
Anglo Culture and Racism Theme Icon
...the last big ranching families, whose property extended into both Texas and Oklahoma. One day, Andy told her how to eat grasshoppers. When she was sixteen, Hazel met Charlie Shaw. In... (full context)
Chapter 3: Creating Dalhart
Westward Expansion and the Settlement of the Southern Plains Theme Icon
Anglo Culture and Racism Theme Icon
Environmental Devastation and the Dust Bowl Theme Icon
Most of those who sought to make money on the plains stuck to wheat. Andy James still insisted on ranching and resented the destruction of the grass, which he did... (full context)
Chapter 14: Showdown in Dalhart
Westward Expansion and the Settlement of the Southern Plains Theme Icon
Anglo Culture and Racism Theme Icon
Environmental Devastation and the Dust Bowl Theme Icon
...time talking with old XIT cowboys. He also spent time talking to the James boys. Andy James’s heart was still broken over his family’s loss of its land. A meeting was... (full context)
Environmental Devastation and the Dust Bowl Theme Icon
The crowd at the courthouse elected Andy James and Mal Stewart to write a letter to Hugh Bennett in Washington to tell... (full context)
Chapter 23: The Last Men
Anglo Culture and Racism Theme Icon
Environmental Devastation and the Dust Bowl Theme Icon
...what people had said about his father. Melt was proud of his dad. Furthermore, Bam, Andy James, and the XIT cowboys knew they were right; the nesters had destroyed the grass... (full context)
Environmental Devastation and the Dust Bowl Theme Icon
...blanket of green by early July.” Doc Dawson’s withered section finally grew healthy corn. On Andy James’ ranch, there was “ankle-high carpet.” People gave God and Franklin Roosevelt equal credit for... (full context)