Augusts McCrae
In the novel, he is generally referred to as only Gus. In the novel, he is the main character and the most complex one. In comparison with the other characters, Gus is a calm and intelligent man who cares about those around him. When Call decides to go north, Gus goes with him as well even though he is happy with the life he has. At Lonesome Dove, Gus is close to a prostitute named Lorena but he claims that he does not want to marry her. However, he takes care of her and protects her on the road and when she is kidnaped he is the one to get her back. Gus only loves one woman, a girl who used to live at Lonesome Dove and who moved when she married. While he still tries to persuade her to marry him, Gus accepts her decision and moves on. Gus is killed at the end of the novel when an Indian hits him in the leg with an arrow and despite knowing that an amputation could save his life, he refuses to have his legs cut off. Before dying, he makes his good friend promise him to bury his body near Lonesome Dove.
Woodrow Call
Call is the owner of the ranch at the Lonesome Dove and he is also the one who suggests that they move to Montana to try their luck there. It is mentioned that Call had positions of authority all his life and thus he is presented as a stoic character who knows what he wants. Call is a natural leader and he knows how to control his men and how to make them do what he wants them to do. On the road, he makes sure that everyone is safe. Call is a close friend with Gus and the two act like partners. When Gus gets injured, he is the first one to go and take care of him and when Gus asks him to go and bury his body at Lonesome Dove, he agrees even though it means traveling a long distance. In the book, Call has a son named Newt but he never acknowledges him. It is however implied that Call cared about Newt and that when he left to return to Lonesome Dove, he left his ranch in Montana to the young boy. Call also left Newt his horse, a sign that he considered him as being special in comparison with the other men at the ranch.
Lorena
Lorena is the town whore at Lonesome Dove but despite her profession, everyone in the town loves her. Some of the men in the town even proposed to marry her but she refused, thinking that he destiny is to go to San Francisco. When Lorena reveals her story, the reader finds that Lorena became a prostitute after the man she was with started abusing her and mistreating her. Then, Lorena left him and to sustain herself she began prostituting herself. One of the men who is in love with Lorena is Gus and after he dies he leaves her half of the cattle he owned. In the book, Lorena gets involved with Jack Spoon but he only uses her for sex and then leaves her when he grew tired of her. Lorena is at one point kidnaped by a group of Indians who beat her and rape her but she is in the end saved by Gus. After the incident, Lorena decides to remain with Gus’s former lover, Clara and to help her on her farm.
July Johnson
July Johnson is the sheriff in the town where Jack Spoon first killed a man. The man who was killed was also July’s brother so he decided to go after him and make sure that he will be hanged for his crimes. After leaving home, he is informed that his wife left him so he decides that he must find her as well and bring her back home. July stumbles upon Gus when he is searching for Lorena and July decides that he will help Gus find Lorena. Because of his involvement, the Indian that took Lorena decided to take revenge on July by killing the people he was traveling with. After that, July gives up on finding his wife and choses instead to focus on his wife. July stumbles upon Clara’s home where he finds his wife’s child and after finding out that his wife was killed, July decides to stay with Clara and take care of his child there.
Jack Spoon
Jack Spoon is the antagonist of the novel, a charming young man who does not care who he hurts. Jack was once a ranger but after he killed a man he was forced to live on the run. When he meet Lorena, he took a liking in her but he quickly started abusing her. After Lorena was kidnaped, Jack left Call’s group and joined two other thieves. From that point one, Jack went downhill, murdering people for fun and robbing them. Call caught him in the end and he hanged him with the other two thieves.
Newt
Newt is a young man who lives at Lonesome Dove and who works for Call. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Newt was actually Call’s son with a prostitute that lived in the town. In comparison with the other characters, Newt is a gentle soul who would never hurt anyone. He does not understand why Jack had to hanged and he also suffers because he is not recognized by his father. When Call leaves for Texas with Gus’s body, Newt is put responsible over the ranch.
Blue Duck
Blue Duck is the antagonist of the story, an Indian who captures and tortures Lorena. Gus tries to kill him but he escapes and he ends up killing the people July was traveling with. Gus stumbles a few weeks later over Blue Duck in a village where he was caught and he mentions how the Indian was hanged for his crimes.
Elmira
Elmira is the name given to the woman married to July. Elmira is a free spirit who still loves her former lover and because of this she leaves her husband and goes searching for the man she loved. When she finds him, he is days from being hanged so Elmira gets ill with grief. After a few days, Elmira runs away with another man but she and the man are killed by Indians in the desert.
Clara
Clara is the name given to the woman Gus loved. It is implied that the two had a relationship in the past but that Clara refused to marry Gus. She ended up marring another man and moving to another ranch. When Gus goes north, he stops on his way to Clara and Clara insists that Lorena stays with her behind.
Deets
Deets is another important member of the group, a black man loved by everyone because of his kind nature. Deets takes care of the people in the group and while he is not given any authority, the rest of the members respect him and listen to him. Unfortunately, Deets is killed during an altercation with an Indian tribe.
Dish Goggett
Dish is a man that works for Call and he is also among the men who go to Montana. His nickname is dish because he once drank dirty dishwater while he was drunk and his friends remembered him for that. Dish is also in love with Lorena and would do anything to be with her. After Gus dies, Dish goes to Clara’s ranch where he hopes to win Lorena.
Roscoe Brown
Roscoe Brown is July’s deputy which he left behind to take care of his wife. When Elmira runs away, Roscoe Brown leaves the town as well to go look for July and tell him what happened to Elmira. Roscoe Brown is killed by the Indian that took Lorena after Gus and July save her.
Janey
Janey is a young girl who follows Roscoe Brown after he stumbled upon the house she was staying with an older man. Janey is killed with Joe and Roscoe Brown by the Indian Blue Duck.
Pea Eye
Pea Eye is an innocent man who works under Call. When Gus is injured by the Indians, Pea Eye is with him. He is also the man who runs back to the camp to tell the rest of the men about what happened to Gus.
Joe Boot
Joe is Jul’s step son and Elmira’s son from a previous marriage. Elmira insists that Joe goes with July when he goes hunting for Jack. Joe is killed at the same time as Roscoe Brown.
