American Western History

In 1765, as the Stamp Act riled eastern seaports, frontiersmen clashed with the British Empire over another issue: Indian relations. When British officials launched a diplomatic expedition into the American interior to open trade with the Indian warrior Pontiac, the Black Boys formed to stop it and led an uprising that threatened the future of Britain's empire. Clashing with traders, diplomats, Native warriors, and imperious British officials, the Black Boys evolved into an organized political movement that resisted the Crown years before the Declaration of Independence.

Love Blooms on the Frontier When Elizabeth Carter steps off the stagecoach in Hope's Landing, Wyoming, she's looking for a fresh start. What she finds is Jeb - a rugged rancher with a heart of gold and a spirit as wild as the land he tends. As Elizabeth and Jeb build a life together, they face the challenges of frontier living with courage and determination. But when sinister forces threaten their home and community, they must stand united to protect all they hold dear. From drought to danger, tender moments to triumph, follow Elizabeth and Jeb's journey as their love deepens and their ...

Calling all busy parents! Discover the perfect book for your adventurous young readers aged 9-12! "I Escaped The Donner Party" offers a captivating blend of educational entertainment and thrilling survival that will have your kids turning pages with excitement. In this heart-pounding tale, Zeke, a 15-year-old horseback enthusiast from Illinois, battles hunger, bears, and blizzards when his pioneer-wagon-train takes a treacherous wrong turn on the iconic Oregon Trail. Based on true events, this kid-powered survival adventure, authored by the multi-award-winning Ellie Crowe and Scott Peters, ...

A classic of its kind, The Long Gray Line is the 25-year saga of the West Point class of 1966. With a novelist's eye for detail, Rick Atkinson illuminates this powerful story through the lives of three classmates and the women they loved - from the boisterous cadet years, to the fires of Vietnam, to the hard peace and internal struggles that followed the war.

In this landmark work on the Anasazi tribes of the Southwest, naturalist Craig Childs dives head-on into the mysteries of this vanished people. The various tribes that made up the Anasazi people converged on Chaco Canyon (New Mexico) during the 11th century to create a civilization hailed as "the Las Vegas of its day", a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, and a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. By the 13th century, however, Chaco's vibrant community had disappeared without a trace.

They Say Harpers Ferry is Haunted. They're Right. Forget the charming shops and scenic trails for a moment. When dusk settles over Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and the fog rolls in from the rivers, the town belongs to its ghosts. And it has more than its share. This collection gathers twenty of the most chilling spectral encounters reported in this legendary haunted town: The infamous John Brown, still pacing, still watching. Armies of the dead marching on Bolivar Heights. A Screaming Lady whose terror echoes near the bridge. Lost children's laughter on Potomac Street. The terrifying ...

In turbulent 1870s Texas, the revered and fearless Ranger Leander McNelly led his men in one dramatic campaign after another, throwing cattle thieves, desperadoes, border ruffians, and other dangerous criminals into jail or, if that's how they wanted it, six feet under. They would stop at nothing in pursuit of justice, even sending 26 Rangers across the border to retrieve stolen cattle—taking on hundreds of Mexican troops with nothing but their Sharps rifles and six-guns. The nation came to call them “McNelly’s Rangers.”

WILL ROGERS MEDALLION AWARD winner! RED RIVER RIFLES, from Amazon bestselling author Dorothy Wiley, continues the highly-acclaimed Wyllie family saga. Kicking off her new Wilderness Dawning—the Texas Wyllie Brothers Series, this remarkable novel is set in a time and place when life was tough. And love had to be even tougher. In 1818, the bravest of the brave settled a narrow strip of land along the Red River in Texas. A place where death and life held equal strongholds—the new leading edge of the West was an exceedingly dangerous place. For Samuel Wyllie, his family’s land south of ...

Evil at Dead Woman Crossing Young Duke John Robinson might appear to be a greenhorn, but it is a fatal mistake to underestimate him. He has faced his share of gunplay and survived his enemies but when he arrives at Peace Valley hoping for a future as a rancher, he soon encounters the worst battles ever. With nothing left of his old life in Arkansas, Duke agrees to the plans of a mysterious stranger to build up a successful cattle operation and does not object when he is ordered to register for all the water rights in Peace Valley. Little does he know that he would enter a snake pit as soon ...

The compelling account of how two heritages united in their struggle to gain freedom and equality in America. The first paths to freedom taken by runaway slaves led to Native American villages. There, black men and women found acceptance and friendship among our country's original inhabitants. Though they seldom appear in textbooks and movies, the children of Native and African American marriages helped shape the early days of the fur trade, added a new dimension to frontier diplomacy, and made a daring contribution to the fight for American liberty.

The "settling" of the American West has been perceived throughout the world as a series of quaint, violent, and romantic adventures. But in fact, Patricia Nelson Limerick argues, the West has a history grounded primarily in economic reality - in hardheaded questions of profit, loss, competition, and consolidation. Here, she interprets the stories and the characters in a new way: The trappers, traders, Indians, farmers, oilmen, cowboys, and sheriffs of the Old West "meant business" in more ways than one, and their descendants mean business today.

When Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 Mexico’s foreign minister in Washington, D.C. angrily left the country and returned to Mexico. Mexico had warned the United States that if Texas became a U.S. state it would be cause for war. By April of the next year a shooting skirmish had broken out along the contested border between Mexico and the state of Texas. -- General Zachary Taylor, who was in charge of the U.S. forces along the border alerted President James K. Polk with the message “Hostilities may now be considered as commenced.” President Polk wasted no time, alerting ...

At the young age of 16, Andy Adams left his San Antonio home to follow his dream of becoming a cowboy. Going on long drives with some of the 19th century's hardiest cowboys, he learned his trade through many adventurous years of trial and error. This account of his true experiences includes dusty cattle drives, brandings, stampedes, dangerous river crossings, and remarkable encounters with the Blackfoot, Oglala, and Platte Indian tribes.

In the spirit of The Boys in the Boat comes the captivating true story of the Hawaiian cowboys who changed rodeo and the West forever.

A historical exploration book set along the Colorado River in the American West during the 16th to 19th centuries. Embark on an unforgettable journey through "Colorado River Chronicle," where the fierce waters of the Colorado River become a steep barrier to discovery for early European explorers. This captivating narrative uncovers the epic quests of brave conquistadors, who dared to conquer the treacherous terrains shaped by this mighty river. With tales of heroism, tragedy, and relentless ambition, the book unravels the challenges faced by those who navigated this formidable landscape in ...

In the 1800's, the old American West was a desirable destination for emancipated or escaped slaves. After the Civil War, many Blacks believed the West offered more opportunity, and less discrimination. In this short, 45 minute eBook, you will read 11 stories of Blacks who discovered the West was a place for them to not only survive, but thrive. You may have heard of some, such as Bessie Coleman, (cover photo) the first African American to earn a pilots license. Or, Justina Ford, a doctor in Denver, Colorado. Many are recently discovered gems, such as lawyer John Dennis Posten, who had a ...

Sarah's dream was to live in a valley. This might be an elusive dream for a young girl who, along with her brother Frank were orphaned early in life. Their parents died on the way to California in the early 1800's. Sarah and Frank were the only wagon survivors. How would two children survive the highwaymen, the raging grassfires, the cold winters and heartache? (Many words in this story reflect the times. e.g. From the late 1600's until the late 1800's, soldiers used an iron shell filled with pitch that burned at intense heat. It was called a carcass. The United States ordnance manual of ...

With a bit of insight into the Native American culture, paired with a larger understanding of how the settlers of the west actually lived, you'll be able to decipher what happened to the Oatman family of your own accord, empowering an honest understanding of this history. In The Captivity of the Oatman Girls, you’ll discover powerful insight into the truth of the relations between the settlers and the Plains Indians of North America, why the actions of the colonists in the late 18th century bordered genocide - and how this shifted the landscape forever, and more.

A rousing and meticulously researched account of the notorious Battle of Little Big Horn and its unforgettable cast of characters from Sitting Bull to Custer himself.

A historic western that opens in 1873, a time when recession is forcing thousands westwards to recoup their fortunes. The West is tough, brutal and the Indian is the enemy. But when a white woman is raped, it is a half-breed Cheyenne who comes to the rescue. From the author of Jake and Upland Passage.