Based on my reading of the novels, there are questionable placements on the list from “Jubal Sackett”. Up to “The Daybreakers”, it matches up pretty much with the order suggested on this website. I would suggest that the order given on this website is pretty good with three exceptions. Maybe I get a little too deep in the weeds or too OC or over analytical, but I am just trying to look at what LL wrote.
I believe the order after “The Daybreakers” should be as follows:
“The Daybreakers” - Actually covers from 1867 to 1872. See Chapter 3 comment about the Santa Fe Trail.
“The Man From The Broken Hills” – Probably between “The Daybreakers” and “Lando”. This one is a little tricky. In Chapter 1, he talks of riding the outlaw trail for the last 3 years. Based on info in other novels, it is a pretty good guess that Milo joined the Confederacy in 1865 at the age of 17. He had probably been riding the outlaw trail since the end of the war which would place this story at 1868.
“Lando”
“Mustang Man” – Most lists put this tale somewhere after “The Sackett Brand”. However, I believe it actually belongs just before “Sackett”. In Chapter 14 of “Mustang Man”, Nolan rides into a camp and tells the campers that he is headed for Mora to visit some kin named Sackett. The camp riders state that they haver heard of the Sacketts in Mora but do not make any reference to Tyrel as the Mora gunfighter which indicates that this tale may take place prior to 1872 which is when Tyrel had the shootout with Tom Sunday and became known as the Mora gunfighter. More telling is Chapter 15 in which Nolan meets Ollie Shaddock in a cantina in Loma Parde. Ollie was in “The Daybreakers”. Ollie talks of bringing Tyrel’s family to New Mexico which was prior to the end of “The Daybreakers” in 1872. Nolan responds that he does not know Tyrel or Orrin but has heard of them. This places this story before “The Sackett Brand” in 1877 because Tyrel, Orrin, and Nolan were all at the final shootout in “The Sackett Brand”. Also, Nolan does not mention knowing Tell which implies that this tale must take place prior to “Mojave Crossing” when Tell first meets up with Nolan as also mentioned in “The Sackett Brand” Chapter 16. So, the information found in Chapters 14 and 15 place “The Mustang Man” prior to “Mojave Crossing” and “The Sackett Brand” and the conversation in the camp in Chapter 14 indicates it was no later than 1873 and probably earlier in 1871 or 1872 prior to “Sackett”.
“Sackett”
“Mojave Crossing”
“The Sackett Brand”
“The Skyliners”
“Galloway” - This novel should fit between “The Skyliners” and “The Lonely Men” both of which are likely set in 1877. In “Galloway”, Flagan finds the wolf-dog that starts to follow him around. This novel covers a period about 70 days just over half way through 1877. If you include “Milo Talon” as a Sackett book, it would follow immediately after “Galloway” and could be taking place about the same time as “The Lonely Men” which would be late 1877. “Milo Talon” would follow “Galloway” because Milo refers to a cousin followed around by a wolf.
“Milo Talon”
“The Lonely Men”
“Ride the Dark Trail”
“Treasure Mountain”
“Lonely on the Mountain”
I think some books fill the same time slots but with different characters on different adventures. “Ride the Dark Trail” and “Treasure Mountain” are two such. This is to say they are very close if not the same time chronologically speaking. “The Warrior’s Path” and “Jubal Sackett” are two others like this. “The Man From the Broken Hills” and “Lando” could also be concurrent when they begin. “Milo Talon” and “The Lonely Men” could also be concurrent tales. There is no reason that two or more tales cannot be taking place at the same time as long as the characters do not show in two different places at the same time.
I have also included the two Milo Talon novels in this list. I read somewhere that LL envisioned the families as interacting in various ways over time. But, he also wrote in the “Companion” that he wanted to make the Talon and Chantry novels as separate series and did not want to consider them as Sackett novels. However, I think he had already let the cow out of the barn. In the final shootout in “Milo Talon” with John Topp, Milo tells Topp that he, Topp, was up against a Sackett because his mother was a Sackett. LL had already created a number of instances where the families were related and where they simply interacted like in “Borden Chantry”.