This entry will present the books that I've read as research for my People, Plots and Places of the Wild West series. I will try to work through them in order, starting with the ones I read for PDFs released in 2024.
-Nate
Appendix N for People, Plots and Places of the Wild West
Title: The American West
Author: Dee Brown, with photos edited by Martin F. Schmitt
Publisher and Date: Touchstone, 1994
Overview:
This book is an excellent, thorough overview for the history of European settlement in the American West, from the first fur trappers in the wilderness to the end of what people call the “Old West.” It is, in my opinion, a great place to start reading about the topic, from which other books can fill in details about more specific elements.
Title: The Rivermen
Author: Paul O'Neil
Publisher and Date: Time Life Books, 1975
Overview:
This book focuses on river activity in the Old West, especially steamboats. It was quite helpful when I was writing supporting material for “The Riverboat.” The last chapter tells of the steamer Far West and its race to bring survivors and news from the Battle of the Little Bighorn back to Bismarck, which was a gripping tale.
Title: Fort Robinson and the American West, 1874-1899
Author: Thomas R. Buecker
Publisher and Date: Red River Books/University of Oklahoma Press, 2003
Overview:
This is a good example of a book that focuses on a specific topic. It tells the story of this fort, from the events of its construction, through its role in numerous conflicts with Native people, to a time when it was becoming obsolete. While it could be a bit dry at times, it provided many useful details while I was working on “Military Fort.”
Title: The Soldiers
Author: David Nevin
Publisher and Date: Time Life Books, 1975
Overview:
This is an example of pairing a Time Life Book with another text. Specifically, I read it along with the Fort Robinson book mentioned above. It complimented that book well, providing a solid overview of life in the frontier Army, especially while the soldiers were on trail.
