Tired of Your Cheating Spouse?

In 1947, there was just one fast way out of a marriage—six weeks in Reno.

Dubbed the “Divorce Capital of the World,” divorce seekers by the thousands came running to Reno. They came from all walks of life…the rich, the poor, the famous, the working class. For the wealthy, the place to stay was the Flying M E, an exclusive dude/divorce ranch where Eastern socialites and Hollywood elite waited out their six-week residency requirement—in privacy and style.

Enter Bill McGee, a ruggedly handsome cowboy from Montana. At age 22, Bill was the ranch’s head dude wrangler. He entertained Eastern heiresses with names like Astor and du Pont, rubbed elbows with movie legends Clark Gable and Ava Gardner, and lived a life most men could only dream of. “Surrounded by all those women, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,” he’d later recall.

Now, Bill McGee’s lively, firsthand stories bring the glitz and glamour of Reno’s divorce ranch days back to life—a time when love, divorce, and high society played out against the backdrop of the American West.

Featuring 180 vintage images.

Meet Writer/Wrangler Bill McGee

 

“Like an old Hollywood movie coming to life.” – Judd Pillot, Writer/Producer

“A treasure for the photos alone.” – Deb Caletti, The Secrets She Keeps, a divorce ranch novel

“The only memoir written by a former Nevada divorce ranch wrangler.”– Lynn Downey, American Dude Ranch

“Once Upon a Time in Reno” by Peggy Wynn Borgman

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