Books by Category » Wild 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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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