Books by Category » American West

A Journal of the Santa Fe Expedition under Colonel Doniphan: Under Colonel Doniphan in 1846 By Jacob S. Robinson Jacob Robinson volunteered for Colonel Doniphan's expedition, which left St. Louis in June 1846 for old Santa Fe, simply because he had nothing better to do. The expedition continued on through Navaho country and then down into Chihuahua, Mexico, where they fought with the Mexicans. Their victories were the basis of a United States claim to what is now New Mexico, Arizona and California. As a newcomer to the great West, Robinson was fascinated by all that he saw, and provides some wonderful sketches of the people and scenery. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-056-5 Pages: 68 $7.95

Adventures on the Columbia River: Six Years on the Western Side of the Rocky Mountains By Ross Cox Ross Cox was a fur trader for the Pacific Fur Company. In 1811, he sailed from New York, around the Horn, to Hawaii, and on to the Columbia River in Oregon, exploring inland to Montana along the Clark Fork and Flathead Rivers. For six years he lived on the frontier -- and beyond -- in a violent world of white and red men, bears and wolves, frostbite and starvation. He wasn't a hero, but he was a survivor, and a sharp observer who wrote one of the best first-hand accounts of the fur trapper's life. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-234-7 Pages: 296 $17.95

Ascent of Denali: First on the Highest Peak in North America, 1913 By Hudson Stuck Hudson Stuck was the Episcopalian archdeacon of the Yukon. With three companions he made the first ascent of Mt. McKinley -- the 20,320 foot tall south summit of Denali. They started in March, arrived at the approaches in April, and by May they were at their base camp, where a late storm kept them in their tents for three weeks reading Shakespeare, history, theology, philosophy, and science. They reached the summit near mid-day on June 7, 1913. Stuck could see and appreciate the beauty of the mountain, which comes through in this intimate account. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-241-X Pages: 140 $12.95

Boots and Saddles: Or, Life in Dakota with General Custer By Elizabeth B. Custer The wild west from a wife's perspective! Mrs. Custer describes her life on the plains with the General until his disastrous defeat at Little Big Horn. She nursed frostbitten soldiers, camped among the Sioux, and saw the capture of Rain-in-the Face. All the while she maintained a home -- no mean feat in a land of punishing blizzards, scorching summers and few amenities. More than anyone else, Elizabeth was responsible for creating the character of General Custer, and burnishing his image as long as she lived. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-012-3 Pages: 220 $18.95

Burro Bill and Me: Ramblings in the American Desert By Edna Calkins Price Burro Bill and Me, a personal memoir, shows the West in the 1930s just as it was changing from an open territory to the settled land it is now. This very literate, funny, and insightful book is a joy to read. Ms Price gave up a life as a nurse to a millionaire to travel Death Valley, Nevada, and the Arizona Strip behind a burro. The characters she meets come to life in this book; from the old prospectors, Mormon farmers, thieves, and people who would give their last bite of food to a couple of strangers. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-207-X Pages: 208 $17.95

California Coast Trails: A Horseback Adventure from Mexico to Oregon in 1911 By J. Smeaton Chase This is the lyrical journal of Chase's 2,000-mile horseback journey from Mexico to Oregon along the coast trails. He set off in 1911, his purpose being to experience the beauty of the land and to record for posterity the distinctively 'Western' way of life. Chase felt that with the construction of the Panama Canal, commerce and industry in California would skyrocket and the old way of life would disappear, along with the sacred nature of the coast lands. So he decided to see it all for himself and record it for future generations. A fascinating look at the towns and wilds of California as they were at the beginning of the 20th century. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-014-X Pages: 216 $16.95

Commerce of the Prairies: Life on the Great Plains in the 1830's and 40's By Josiah Gregg Gregg crossed and recrossed the Great Plains four times as a trader, frontiersman and trail-blazer in the 1830's and 40's. His epic account of early Santa Fe trade has been used as a guide by historians, naturalists and sociologists because of its accuracy and detail. "Commerce of the Prairies" gives a remarkably clear view of the country as it was when white people first arrived. Gregg describes the thrill of a buffalo hunt, the disappointment of a desert mirage, and the terror of an Indian attack with first-hand immediacy. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-018-2 Pages: 266 $25.95

Death Valley in '49: The Autobiography of a Pioneer By William L. Manly This is the detailed and devastating account of the sufferings of the party of emigrants who gave Death Valley its name. Persuaded by the leader of another wagon train to try a shortcut to southern California, the emigrants got lost in the barren, arid valley. After splitting into small groups, most of the party died of thirst, hunger, or exhaustion. William Manly, however, lived up to his name, and survived the ordeal to write this autobiography, which also describes conditions in California during the 1849 Gold Rush. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-026-3 Pages: 292 $24.95

Eldorado: Adventures in the Path of Empire By Bayard Taylor Taylor was sent by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune to San Francisco in September, 1849 to report on the Gold Rush. He was already well known as a writer of travels in Europe "with knapsack and staff." This book is a treasure, and is the source of the phrase, "Go west, young man." Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-231-2 Pages: 348 $24.95

First to the Parklands: Original Narratives from the History of Western Exploration By Jeffrey Eling This is a collection of 19th century journals, diaries, articles, memoirs, and reports of the first explorations of what would become our national parks. There are 50 first-person accounts in all, each with an historical introduction that sets the time and place. These explorers describe the wonders that became the parks at the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Wind River Range, the Redwoods, Big Bend, Glacier, Organ Pipe, Mount Rainier, the Grand Canyon, Kings Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and many others. (Second Edition) Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-247-9 Pages: 448 $26.95

Grey Hawk: Life and Adventures Among the Red Indians By John Tanner John Tanner was a small boy in the spring of 1789 when he was snatched from his father's farm in Kentucky by two Shawnee braves -- they were looking for just such a boy. They traded him to the Ojibbeways, where he was adopted by the wife of the chief to replace her own dead son. They renamed him Grey Hawk, and he stayed for 30 years. As an adult, he worked as a government scout and translator in Sault de St. Marie, eventually making his way to New York City, where he told his story to the doctor who wrote down his words. The narrative includes a chapter on Henry Schoolcraft, a description of the Sioux sun dance, and details about the fur traders of the Northwest Company. Few accounts of 19th century native life are as rich, detailed, and compassionate as this one. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-259-2 Pages: 256 $22.95

Hands Up: Or, Twenty Years of Detective Life in the Mountains and on the Plains By David J. Cook A grisly and entertaining account of the experiences of General David J. Cook, Superintendent of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association. This sensationalist narrative (written or dictated by Cook but presented in the third person) takes the reader through the true history of crime in the Colorado area during the 1860's and 70's. The times were hard and the men desperate, and there was almost no law enforcement to speak of. The few brave souls who did try to battle crime saw such scenes of butchery as cannot be spoken of without a shudder. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-040-9 Pages: 228 $18.95

Indian Sketches: Taken During an Expedition to the Pawnee Tribes in 1833 By John Treat Irving The precocious nephew of Washington Irving creates vivid and varied sketches of Pawnee life. Inexperienced but astute and enthusiastic, 20-year-old John Treat Irving volunteered as a secretary on an 1833 expedition to the disputed and violence-ridden Pawnee hunting grounds. He describes what he observed there with the awe and excitement of an unbiased young person. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-050-6 Pages: 204 $16.95

Journal of a Trapper: In the Rocky Mountains Between 1834 and 1843 By Osborne Russell In 1830, 16-year-old Osborne Russell left his Maine farm and ran away to sea. He didn't like it. He ended up joining an expedition headed to Oregon by way of the Rocky Mountains. Along the way he acquired the skills necessary for survival in the mountains. He also learned the Snake language, hunted buffalo, and trapped beaver, looked for new trails west, and kept a journal that forms the basis of this vigorously authentic book. The descriptions are so accurate that contemporary readers are using the book to retrace Russell's footsteps! Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-052-2 Pages: 168 $16.95

Journal of an Exploring Tour: Beyond the Rocky Mountains By Samuel Parker Parker was an educated and careful observer of the pre-American northwest (then called the "Oregon Territory" ). As described in the 1844 edition of his Journal, this is "a description of the geography, geology, climate, productions of the country, and the numbers, manners, and customers of the natives." Ostensibly, he went west to do missionary work, but his journal is an incredibly detailed log of all aspects of the journey, even down to a table of the daily weather. Full of accurate information. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-054-9 Pages: 260 $21.95

Kit Carson's Own Story of His Life: As Dictated to Col. and Mrs. D.C. Peters By Kit Carson The famous Taos scout Kit Carson used the experience he gained trapping in the Rocky Mountains to become a guide for General Stephen Watts Kearney as well as John Fremont, who saved his life. Carson describes his travels and adventures throughout the southwest and depicts his exploits with Indians and Mexicans. Carson's vivid account is a compelling example of both the fearlessness and the ruthlessness that typified many a man of his era. You might find yourself occasionally rooting for the other side while reading this decidedly "unvarnished prose." Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-060-3 Pages: 116 $12.95

Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter By Tom Horn Guilty or not? Many thought that Tom Horn, the great Indian scout who was hanged for the murder of a fourteen year-old boy, was innocent. In fact, this book was published as "A Vindication." Can reading the story of his life as he tells it convince you? Horn fought the Apache, and like many scouts of the day, he displays a mixture of admiration and contempt for the Indians he knew, among them Geronimo, who is a major figure in this book. Tough, and unrepentant. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-068-9 Pages: 196 $16.95

Life, Letters, and Travels of Father Pierre-Jean de Smet, S. J., Vol 1: In North America Among the Natives, 1821-1873 By Pierre-Jean de Smet Pierre Jean De Smet was born January 30, 1801 in Belgium and arrived in the United States as a Jesuit novice in 1821, where he ran a school for Native American children from 1824-1830 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In 1840 and 1841 he traveled with the Flatheads through Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, and then from 1841 to 1846 he visited and established Catholic missions among the Native American tribes of the American northwest and British Columbia, and in 1849 he secured a treaty between the United States and the Sioux tribe. He wrote during his travels, and recorded what few literate men even saw. Volume 1 of 4. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-258-4 Pages: 360 $24.95

Milford's Memoir: A Cursory Glance at My Different Travels & My Sojourn in the Creek Nation By Louis LeClerc de Milford In 1775, Milford traveled from France to America. He spent much of this time in the Carolinas among the Creek Indians, becoming a member of the Creek Confederacy, eventually rising to Grand War Chief, commander of all Creek forces. Rather than fight in the American Revolution, Milford led 200 warriors on an expedition to search for the origin of the Creek people. Milford eventually returned to France to participate in the French Revolution. Details are unfiltered: consider his accounts of the "Drunken One-Eyed Gougers" of the Carolinas, and the Choctaw divorce ceremony. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-002-6 Pages: 184 $15.95

Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada: With the Whitney Expedition and Alone, 1864 - 1870 By Clarence King Clarence King (born 1842) of Rhode Island was a Yale-educated geologist and mining engineer who rode horseback across the continent in 1863. In California, he was hired to work on Whitney's geological survey of the state. In this narrative, originally published 1872, King tells us about his experiences in the range, including his ascents of Mount Tyndall, Mount Shasta, and Mount Whitney; survey of Yosemite Valley; and field trips in the Merced Valley. King provides anecdotes of the mountains' people and natural history along the way. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-250-9 Pages: 248 $18.95

Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard: Five Years as a Mountain Man in the Rocky Mountains By Zenas Leonard Zenas Leonard was a true mountain man. He lived in the Rockies for five years, cut off from civilization, surrounded by hostile Indian tribes and vicious grizzly bears, providing for himself with his guns and traps. He was also on Walker's expedition of 1833-34. His adventures provide a remarkable insight into the American fur trade, giving the perspective of a trapper and adventurer. He also describes battles between the Crows and Blackfeet, and tells the stories of some of his important contemporaries. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-074-3 Pages: 148 $14.95

Old Deadwood Days: The Real Wild West of My Childhood By Estelline Bennett Deadwood in the late 1800's was a rowdy mining town where fortunes were made overnight (and guarded with a Winchester). Local characters like Cold Deck Johnny, Slippery Sam, and Swill Barrel Jimmy rubbed elbows with the infamous Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock. Preacher Smith, a "sky pilot without a compass" tried to keep everyone's souls in order while the author's father, Judge Bennett, upheld the law. The author grew up along with the town, and saw it change from a miner's camp to a real town when the railroad came. Full of real wild west exploits and notorious personages. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-078-6 Pages: 192 $16.95

Prentice Mulford's Story: Life by Land and Sea By Prentice Mulford Born in Sag Harbor, Long Island, Prentice Mulford (1834-1891) sailed to San Francisco on a clipper ship in 1856 and remained for sixteen years. This is his account of his adventures at sea and in the American west from 1856 through 1872: life on a clipper and a California coastal schooner hunting whales and seals, gold prospecting in Tuolumne County, accounts of camp life and experiences as a school teacher and minor local politician, copper mining in Stanislaus County, and career as journalist for the San Francisco Golden Era. Mulford was a friend of Mark Twain and Bret Harte, and this book ranks with theirs. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-251-7 Pages: 244 $17.95

Recollections and Opinions of an Old Pioneer: By the First Governor of the State of California By Peter H. Burnett Peter Hardeman Burnett (1807-1895) spent his early years in Tennessee and Missouri, serving as a district attorney in the latter state. In 1843 he joined an emigrant party bound for Oregon, where he became a prominent and controversial lawyer, judge, and politician in the new territory. In 1848, he went to California in search of gold and soon became a business and political leader of that territory. This book, originally published in 1880, contains Burnett's recollections of his early life in Missouri, his career in Oregon, and his decision to join a wagon train to California in the summer of 1848. There he seeks gold for six months before resuming the practice of law and the pursuit of politics. Elected a judge in August and governor in December 1849, Burnett turned to the practice of law in the 1850s and the business of banking in the 1860s. A remarkable American Odyssey. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-256-8 Pages: 344 $22.95

Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains: In the Year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-44 By John C. Fremont Gold rush fever! If you were going west in the late 1840's, this was the guide to use. It was so popular that not only American, but German and British editions appeared. John Fremont explored this area as a lieutenant in the Corps of Topographical Engineers. His and his men’s enthusiasm, daring, and fortitude is evident throughout his report. Fremont describes his findings in detail, from geographical analysis to botanical and zoological specimen gathering, and more. Fascinating reading. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-200-2 Pages: 412 $24.95

Scenes and Adventures in the Army: Or, Romance of Military Life By Philip St. George Cooke Cooke, an 1827 graduate of West Point, saw and told more of military life in the mid-nineteenth century than almost any other U.S. Officer. Commissioned a brigadier general in the Union Army soon after the start of the Civil War (one of his sons became a Confederate general), he was given command of the calvary forces in Washington, D.C. After the surrender he served in the Black Hawk and Mexican wars. He is best remembered as commander of the famous "Mormon Battalion" of the U.S. Dragoons, which left Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October, 1846, and pulled their wagons over trackless desert to San Diego, rejoining General Kearney in the conquest of California. Cooke ended his active career in the late 1850s as an observer in the Crimean War. This book covers it all with detail and color. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-249-5 Pages: 320 $21.95

Tenting on the Plains: With General Custer from the Potomac to the Western Frontier By Elizabeth B. Custer Elizabeth Custer chronicles the journey with her legendary husband, General George A. Custer, from the time of his leaving the Army of the Potomac in 1865, through Texas, New Orleans, and to the western frontier. Her descriptions of the daily rigors of travel, survival, and the people encountered, have become classic historical literature -- and in this case, enlivened by the perceptive eye and mind of a woman who, in her own right, became a heroine of the time. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-229-0 Pages: 304 $21.95

The Adventures of Captain Bonneville: Digested from His Journals by Washington Irving By Benjamin Bonneville Captain Benjamin L. E. Bonneville left the east for California in May of 1832. No one heard from him, and many people assumed he was dead (or AWOL). Three years later he returned. Washington Irving (Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle) met Bonneville, bought the rights to his journal, edited it, and published it. He knew a good story when he read it. This is probably the most literate, readable description of the fur trapper era. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-004-2 Pages: 264 $23.95

The City of the Saints: Among the Mormons and Across the Rocky Mountains to California By Richard Burton The famous explorer's travels among the Mormons in Salt Lake City and the road west to California. Includes fascinating details on the native and white inhabitants. While in the city, Burton got to know Brigham Young and describes the man -- his appearance, mannerisms, and character -- in astonishing detail. Highly entertaining reading. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-230-4 Pages: 520 $28.95

The Emigrants' Guide: To Oregon and California in 1844 By Lansford W. Hastings A combination of observation and propaganda, Hastings' guide was invaluable for pioneers travelling to Oregon or California in the 1840's and afterwards. It describes geography, climate, and economic possibilities and lists equipment and resources necessary for the journey west. It places the modern reader in the mind of the pioneer, with all of the pioneer's attitudes, ideals and prejudices of the time. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-032-8 Pages: 212 $17.95

The Life of Buffalo Bill: The Life and Adventures of William F. Cody, as Told by Himself By William F. Cody What a life! Cody was born in 1845, during the period of the great Westward migrations, and lived right in the middle of it all. Pioneers, horse thieves, cattle rustlers, Indians, soldiers, scouts, and hunters -- Cody knew them all and they're all here. He led wagon trains, drove stage coaches, and rode for the pony express. He was a scout for the Union during the Civil War, and got his name for his skill in buffalo hunting. He knew Wild Bill Hickock and Kit Carson. Some of his tales may be tall, but for sheer excitement and the "romance of the Wild West" this book is hard to beat. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-066-2 Pages: 244 $20.95

The Oregon Trail: Adventures on the Prairie in the 1840's By Francis Parkman Parkman (1823-1893) laconically narrates his series of misadventures involving Indians, buffalo, and bad weather in this account of his long journey from St. Louis to the wild west and back, beginning in spring of 1846. One disaster after another makes "The Oregon Trail" a highly amusing tale, but it also contains a lot of beautiful descriptions of the prairies and of Indian ways of life. Parkman tried to become a member of an Indian village, and while not entirely successful, he did make some interesting observations along the way and he describes his experiences wonderfully. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-080-8 Pages: 252 $20.95

The Personal Narrative of James O. Pattie of Kentucky: The True Wild West of New Mexico and California By James Ohio Pattie Pattie was a young fur trapper from Kentucky, vainly seeking his fortune in the American southwest. His narrative describes his sometimes outrageous exploits in New Mexico, along the Gila River, and in California from 1824 to 1830. He traps beaver, fights Indians, digs for gold, and saves thousands of Mexicans during a smallpox epidemic. This is a sweeping and generally accurate saga of the southwest and California of the time -- certainly it has some of the best descriptions of Indian attacks, desert crossings, and international politics in the Old West of any journal we have. A classic, and rightfully so. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-082-4 Pages: 224 $19.95

Three Years Among the Comanches: The Narrative of Nelson Lee, the Texas Ranger By Nelson Lee This is a detailed account of Lee's captivity among the Comanches in the 1850's and his escape through the mountains back to white civilization. The story is full of encounters with alligators, snakes, and panthers, as well as hostile Comanches. Lee saw his fellow captives slaughtered most horribly: he was spared only because he convinced the Indians that the Great Spirit spoke to him through his pocket watch. Nevertheless, Lee gives excellent details about the tribe's way of life, albeit from the perspective of someone who doesn't have the kindliest feelings towards his captors. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-094-8 Pages: 144 $13.95

Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans: Expeditions to the Frontier in 1809-1810 and in 1821-1822 By Thomas James In 1809, Thomas James joined up with the Missouri Fur Company to trap beaver on the upper river. But he was cheated, left the party, and struck out on his own. He and his companions faced starvation and hostile natives constantly. Later, in 1821 and 1822 he made two other trading expeditions into New Mexico. His accounts are extraordinary high adventure, but they are also a treasure of frontier names, places, and customs. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-202-9 Pages: 176 $13.95

Trailing Geronimo: The Outbreak of the White Mountain Apaches, 1881-1886 By Anton Mazzanovich September 1886 and the surrender of the Chiricahua Apache Geronimo marked the end of centuries of warfare between European-Americans and the desert Indians in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The final drama in the long clash between cultures played out like grand theater with larger-than-life characters. Ultimately, the story ended, not in an epic and bloody battle, but with an operatic struggle between men of uncommon courage, valor, honor and humanism and those of common deceptiveness, cruelty, treachery and self-aggrandizement. The final act lasted for more than 16 months. This is an account of that struggle by a soldier who was there, up to and including the final scene in Skeleton Canyon. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-254-1 Pages: 252 $17.95

Travels on the Pacific Coast: A Report from California, Oregon and Alaska in 1841 By Eugene Duflot de Mofras In 1839, Eugene Duflot de Mofras was dispatched by the French government to investigate the commercial possibilities (and political and military realities) of the northwest provinces of Mexico and the British, American, and Russian settlements further north. Along the way he visiting most of the California missions. He report was tremendously influential at the time, and remains one of the best portraits of the Pacific coast before the American occupation. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-243-6 Pages: 316 $30.95

Twenty-Four Years a Cowboy & Ranchman: Or, Desperate Fights with the Indians and Mexicans By Will Hale Hale tells the story of his years as a cattle rancher and cowboy in unadorned, often humorously authentic language. Battles with Comanches and Mexicans, cattle raids, love affairs, and murders spice up the pages of this narrative of 19th century life in Texas and Mexico. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-100-6 Pages: 172 $17.95

Two Years Before The Mast: And Twenty-four Years After By Richard Henry Dana Avast there all you Patrick O'Brian fans! Here is a personal narrative of the seaman's life in the age of sail: 1815-1882, and a classic of nautical literature. Dana was a Harvard student recovering from the measles when he decided it would be more interesting to do so at sea as a common sailor. In 1834 he joined a two-year voyage rounding Cape Horn to deliver cargo to California. All the color and detail of daily life at sea as well as descriptions of various ports. Rousing good fun! Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-102-2 Pages: 292 $24.95

Uncle Dick Wootton: The Pioneer Frontiersman of the Rocky Mountain Region By Richens Wootton Uncle Dick Wootton's tale spans a broad chunk of the 19th century American frontier. Originally a mountain man, Uncle Dick ran the gamut of wild west professions: he was a scout, hunter, trapper, trader, freighter, and rancher. He narrowly escaped death on numerous occasions and he was an avid Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. Full of humor, Uncle Dick's memoirs include a description of "Hobnobbing with Brigham Young" and spooky tales of headless senoritas. Truly an encyclopedia of life on the southwestern frontier. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-104-9 Pages: 212 $19.95

What I Saw in California: By Wagon from Missouri to California in 1846-47 By Edwin Bryant As a young man in 1846-47, Edwin Bryant traveled from Independence, Missouri, through the Rocky Mountains, across the desert, and throughout California. He often functioned as an unofficial doctor on the wagon trains. Describing the trail west and the character of the local people, he was an extremely detailed observer, taking note of everything he saw. A highly informative book, and very well written. Read More... ISBN: 1-58976-118-9 Pages: 332 $26.95