Post by markland on Feb 25, 2006 10:35:05 GMT -6
Rather than start three threads, I figured one would suffice.
I have been reading more than researching the past few days-coincidently, corresponding to my visits to the "discount book store" which had trade paperbacks at $1 and hardcovers at $2, until the last week then all were $1! They had a decent selection of history, no LBH or Indian Wars specific books but, still, OK.
Here are three that I heartedly recommend, in the order read.
Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910 by Stephen J. Pyne. This book deals largely with the "Big Blowup" forest fires on August, 1910 in northern Idaho and western Montana. However, the book does touch on the controversies prior to the fire, which solidified the "fire suppression" practices of the then infant U.S. Forest Service in the decades after (which continue to this day!). If you liked Young Men On Fire and love the West, this is a good one to have.
Ship of Gold by Gary Kinder. Having lived all but the past fifteen years of my life within one hundred miles (and often much, much closer) of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I am fascinated by stories of maritime disasters. For those in the land-locked areas or overseas, the coast off the Outer Banks was (and still is) known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." This book deals with sinking of the S.S. Central America, approximately 160 miles off the NC coast during a hurricane in September, 1857 and its subsequent discovery 1988. Over four hundred men lost their lives, after all the women and children (one young boy stayed aboard, purportedly to be with his older brother) had been rowed through gigantic seas and hurricane-force winds to another ship which had stumbled upon the distressed Central America. The Central America was on the route from Panama to New York and primarily carried passengers bound for or returning from the gold fields of California. In this case, she was returning from Panama with about six hundred passengers and crew and as cargo carried over three TONS of California gold. Also, many (if not most) of the passengers had large quantities of gold with them. The prequel to the book dealing with the Gold Rush, the historical context, the history of the passengers and Captain Herndon, and the actual sinking is fascinating. The second part, the endeavour to find and recover the ship and gold without destroying the archaeological record skips in some parts but is equally compelling.
The Old Iron Road by David Haward Bain. This book deals with the trip the author and his family took one summer, revisiting the route taken by the first transcontinental railroad from Omaha to Promontory Summit. As I only began the book this morning I can only offer an opinion based upon the first two chapters: excellent history and storytelling in the best tradition of William Least-Heat Moon or our own Tom Goodrich (read his on-line journal/book, History River at:
www.tomanddeb.com/historyriver.html
The first two are not directly part of the Indian Wars, or the 7th Cav., but, together with the third, they give us a view of some of the causes of the Indian Wars as well as one of the effects of the displacement of the Indians in that region. These three books offer well-crafted and researched journies into the past which increase our appreciation of the our own areas of interest.
All three were published I believe in the late 1990's so they should be available at libraries or other bookstores.
Enjoy,
Billy
I have been reading more than researching the past few days-coincidently, corresponding to my visits to the "discount book store" which had trade paperbacks at $1 and hardcovers at $2, until the last week then all were $1! They had a decent selection of history, no LBH or Indian Wars specific books but, still, OK.
Here are three that I heartedly recommend, in the order read.
Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910 by Stephen J. Pyne. This book deals largely with the "Big Blowup" forest fires on August, 1910 in northern Idaho and western Montana. However, the book does touch on the controversies prior to the fire, which solidified the "fire suppression" practices of the then infant U.S. Forest Service in the decades after (which continue to this day!). If you liked Young Men On Fire and love the West, this is a good one to have.
Ship of Gold by Gary Kinder. Having lived all but the past fifteen years of my life within one hundred miles (and often much, much closer) of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I am fascinated by stories of maritime disasters. For those in the land-locked areas or overseas, the coast off the Outer Banks was (and still is) known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." This book deals with sinking of the S.S. Central America, approximately 160 miles off the NC coast during a hurricane in September, 1857 and its subsequent discovery 1988. Over four hundred men lost their lives, after all the women and children (one young boy stayed aboard, purportedly to be with his older brother) had been rowed through gigantic seas and hurricane-force winds to another ship which had stumbled upon the distressed Central America. The Central America was on the route from Panama to New York and primarily carried passengers bound for or returning from the gold fields of California. In this case, she was returning from Panama with about six hundred passengers and crew and as cargo carried over three TONS of California gold. Also, many (if not most) of the passengers had large quantities of gold with them. The prequel to the book dealing with the Gold Rush, the historical context, the history of the passengers and Captain Herndon, and the actual sinking is fascinating. The second part, the endeavour to find and recover the ship and gold without destroying the archaeological record skips in some parts but is equally compelling.
The Old Iron Road by David Haward Bain. This book deals with the trip the author and his family took one summer, revisiting the route taken by the first transcontinental railroad from Omaha to Promontory Summit. As I only began the book this morning I can only offer an opinion based upon the first two chapters: excellent history and storytelling in the best tradition of William Least-Heat Moon or our own Tom Goodrich (read his on-line journal/book, History River at:
www.tomanddeb.com/historyriver.html
The first two are not directly part of the Indian Wars, or the 7th Cav., but, together with the third, they give us a view of some of the causes of the Indian Wars as well as one of the effects of the displacement of the Indians in that region. These three books offer well-crafted and researched journies into the past which increase our appreciation of the our own areas of interest.
All three were published I believe in the late 1990's so they should be available at libraries or other bookstores.
Enjoy,
Billy