Copake Cowpaths is a richly detailed family memoir chronicling the Dunning brothers’ boyhood on their Copake, New York, dairy farm during the 1950s — a decade of hard work, close family ties, and deep-rooted rural values. Written by David Dunning, along with his five brothers, the book celebrates the rhythms of farm life while preserving family and community history for future generations.

The narrative unfolds through vivid scenes of daily farm routines — haying in the summer heat, milking cows, tending to chickens and pigs, and learning life’s lessons under the firm yet loving guidance of their parents. Their father, an industrious entrepreneur and role model, taught responsibility, craftsmanship, and perseverance; their mother, a dedicated teacher, balanced career and family while instilling a respect for education and language.

Woven throughout are stories of the family’s origins — from grandparents who left Massachusetts and Vermont to settle in Copake in the 1930s, to their parents’ early marriage and the establishment of The Copake Equipment Company, which they later sold. Interspersed family anecdotes trace the evolution of Copake itself: its general stores, Grange, auction house, and the ever-present dairy landscape that defined mid-century Columbia County life.

Memorable chapters recall childhood adventures at the farmhouse, summers at “camp” in Vermont, regular visits to Aunt Margie’s house, and lessons learned through youthful mischief and chores. Photographs and recollections evoke a time when communities revolved around farm work, faith, and family, and when every generation took pride in the land that sustained them.

The narrative is also a treasure trove of local historical tidbits such as the locations of several still-remembered iconic stores, schools, homes, farms, train lines, and depots. Remnants and minutiae of a small town world - now gone, but not forgotten.