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Flying U Books in Order

Part ofBM Bower Books in Order

See the Flying U books in order by B.M. Bower, with short summaries, series background, and tips on where to start with Chip and the Happy Family.

Last updated: July 3, 2026

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Flying U books in publication order

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12 books

1

Chip of the Flying U

by BM Bower

1906

Shy cowboy artist Chip Bennett is happiest avoiding women, until tough, capable Dr. Della Whitmore arrives at the Flying U. Their uneasy start turns into a warm western romance set inside a lively ranch crew.

2

The Happy Family of the Flying U

by BM Bower

1910

The cowboys of the Flying U are back, louder, funnier, and just as loyal as before. This sequel follows the Happy Family through work, pranks, quarrels, and the everyday dramas that make the ranch feel alive.

3

Flying U Ranch

by BM Bower

1914

With Chip and the Old Man away, the Happy Family faces invading sheep and a growing range war on its own. Bower turns the cattlemen versus sheepmen feud into a funny, tense ranch adventure.

4

The Flying U's Last Stand

by BM Bower

1915

A land-boom syndicate and a flood of settlers threaten the Flying U's hold on the range. The Happy Family answers with loyalty, improvisation, and a stubborn refusal to let their home vanish quietly.

5

The Heritage of the Sioux

by BM Bower

1916

At a New Mexico ranch tied to the movie business, Annie-Many-Ponies must navigate prejudice, desire, and questions of identity. Bower mixes romance and conflict in a story shaped by performance, power, and belonging.

6

Dark Horse

by BM Bower

1931

When Big Medicine rescues a stranger, the Flying U is drawn into another tangle of secrets and suspicion. A later Happy Family story with mystery tucked underneath the humor and camaraderie.

7

The Flying U Strikes

by BM Bower

1933

Chip Bennett, Weary Davidson, and the rest of the Happy Family swing into action when trouble finds the ranch again. Fast-moving and funny, it shows the Flying U crew at their most loyal and inventive.

8

The Whoop-Up Trail

by BM Bower

1933

Set along the old whiskey trail between Montana and Canada, this western follows riders pulled into smuggling, danger, and divided loyalties on a hard northern frontier.

9

Trouble Rides the Wind

by BM Bower

1997

After Chip Bennett overhears a plot that could destroy good neighbors, the Flying U has to move fast. A later ranch adventure with a frame-up, murder plans, and the crew's usual mix of nerve and loyalty.

10

Rodeo

by BM Bower

2002

At a big rodeo far from home, young men tied to the Flying U test themselves in and out of the arena. What starts as spectacle becomes a sharp clash over pride, skill, and growing up.

11

The Spirit of the Range

by BM Bower

2005

Range work, town plans, and old grievances all pull at the same cluster of western lives. Bower keeps the focus on loyalty, pride, and the everyday tensions that can suddenly boil over.

12

Law on the Flying U

by BM Bower

2012

A collection of Flying U western stories built around humor, loyalty, and rough justice. In the title story, Chip Bennett helps an old friend who is dodging the law find shelter and work.

Flying U books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Chip of the Flying U"

    Chip of the Flying U

    by BM Bower

    1906Flying U, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Happy Family of the Flying U"

    The Happy Family of the Flying U

    by BM Bower

    1910Flying U, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Flying U Ranch"

    Flying U Ranch

    by BM Bower

    1914Flying U, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Flying U's Last Stand"

    The Flying U's Last Stand

    by BM Bower

    1915Flying U, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "The Heritage of the Sioux"

    The Heritage of the Sioux

    by BM Bower

    1916Flying U, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Dark Horse"

    Dark Horse

    by BM Bower

    1931Flying U, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "The Flying U Strikes"

    The Flying U Strikes

    by BM Bower

    1933Flying U, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "The Whoop-Up Trail"

    The Whoop-Up Trail

    by BM Bower

    1933Flying U, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Trouble Rides the Wind"

    Trouble Rides the Wind

    by BM Bower

    1997Flying U, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Rodeo"

    Rodeo

    by BM Bower

    2002Flying U, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "The Spirit of the Range"

    The Spirit of the Range

    by BM Bower

    2005Flying U, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Law on the Flying U"

    Law on the Flying U

    by BM Bower

    2012Flying U, Book 12

Series background & context

The Flying U books are set at a Montana cattle ranch in Bear Paw country and revolve around the Happy Family, a bunkhouse crowd of cowboys who fight, tease, work, and close ranks when it matters. If you like westerns with strong group chemistry, this is the main draw.

The series begins with Chip of the Flying U, where Chip Bennett, a cowboy who would rather sketch than posture, falls for the capable Dr. Della Whitmore. But the real star is the ranch itself. Around Chip are Weary Davidson, Andy Green, Pink, Slim, Happy Jack, Big Medicine, and the rest of the Happy Family, plus Old Man J. G. Whitmore, whose ranch gives them purpose and a place to belong.

They are forever joking, and they are never just joking.

One book may hinge on romance, another on range politics, another on sheepmen, settlers, rustlers, early movie people, or the new rodeo world. What links them is the sense that ranch work is real work. Bower pays attention to horses, weather, fences, branding, camp food, and the daily grind. Even when the plot turns comic, the setting stays practical and grounded.

The longer thread running through the series is change. The Flying U starts in the age of open range freedom, but fences, filings, town rules, and outside money keep pressing in. The Flying U's Last Stand makes that pressure explicit, while later books like Dark Horse, The Flying U Strikes, and Rodeo show the ranch world adapting, sometimes reluctantly, to a different West. Bower even returned to the setting later for stories written after the original run, some of them placed earlier in the ranch's history.

That gives the series a nice mix of comfort and tension. These are western adventures, but they are also ensemble stories about friendship, loyalty, pride, and the small disasters that hit any tightly packed community. People fall in love, hold grudges, bluff each other, and occasionally make very bad plans.

You do not have to read every book in strict order to enjoy them. Most entries stand alone, and Bower often shifts the focus from one member of the Happy Family to another. Still, reading from Chip of the Flying U onward lets you watch the ranch turn from a fun setting into something larger, a shared home under pressure.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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