WE’RE celebrating the holidays with Harold F. Cruickshank—creator of those great Aces of the Western Front’s Hell Skies—Red Eagle, Sky Wolf, and Sky Devil. But this holiday season it’s going to be a down home Christmas featuring Cruickshank’s Pioneer Folk stories from the pages of Range Riders Western (1945-1952) on Mondays and Fridays; and Cruickshank’s own recollections of homesteading life from The Edmonton Journal’s The Third Column on Wednesdays.

Cruickshank wrote 35 stories chronicling the trials and tribulations of Dal and Mary Baldwin as they carved out their piece of the Wilderness in Sun Bear Valley, Wyoming and establish a growing community. Doc runs afoul of Malotte the half-breed who has returned to rustle Dal’s horses and another wagon arrives in the valley with more settlers—The Morrisons—Jud and Olga, their eleven year old fraternal twins Martin and Maureen and eldest son Jack who is married to Rhona and has three young kids of his own—little baby Jud, five months; Nell, four, and Ollie, five. With little Jimmy Baldwin a husky four year old now and his recently born younger brother Tenby, looks like Sun Bear Valley will be needing the services of the Morrison’s niece who is a school-marm.

From the April 1946 number of Range Riders Western, it’s Harold F. Cruickshank’s Pioneer Folks in “Wilderness Justice!”

A feared rustler returns to Sun-Bear Valley and threatens the happiness of Dal and Mary Baldwin in their new home!

• Download “Wilderness Justice” (April 1946, Range Riders Western)

Be sure to stop back Friday when the Baldwins establish “Squatters’ Law!”