Eyewitness to the Old West
Eyewitness to the Old West

Author: Richard Scott

Publisher: Taylor Trade Publications

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1570984263

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A collection of over 150 vignettes from the journals and diaries of people who lived or traveled the Old West.

On the Pony Express Trail
On the Pony Express Trail

Author: Scott Alumbaugh

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2023-06-01

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 1493068709

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Pony Express has a hold on the American imagination wildly out of proportion to its actual role in the history of the West. The system of transporting mail to California by a relay of lone riders on swift horses ran less than eighteen months in 1860-1861 and failed by every measure of success. Nevertheless, it has become the most iconic symbol of the West. Scott Alumbaugh was so taken with the Pony Express that at age 62 he bikepacked 1,400 miles of the trail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Salt Lake City, Utah. Alumbaugh’s journey took five weeks on a route that was mostly off-road, sometimes through remote territory. Along the way he came to see the celebrated Pony Express as a collection of fables based on a few historical facts and reshaped into a symbol of the spirit that “won the West.” On The Pony Express Trail: One Man’s Bikepacking Journey to Discover History from a Different Kind of Saddle recounts Scott Alumbaugh’s experience bikepacking the Pony Express Trail during the summer of 2021. The narrative follows his day-to-day experiences and impressions—the challenges, the sites he visited, the country he rode through, and the interactions with the people he met—while taking a fresh look at the real Pony Express in the context of mid-1800s historical events along the trail: The Mexican-American, Utah, and Paiute Wars; the California and Pike’s Peak gold rushes; the overland emigration of hundreds of thousands to Oregon and California; the exodus of tens of thousands of Mormons to Utah; and the increasingly contentious fight over slavery along with the looming threat of civil war.

The Old Oregon Country
The Old Oregon Country

Author: Oscar Osburn Winther

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 1950-01-01

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9780803252189

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Pacific Northwest, the old Oregon country, was one of the most remote and inaccessible frontier areas, but it was also known to be rich in natural resources. The opening up of this region is a story of courage, endurance, and pioneer enterprise. Transportation in this rugged country was a problem to the settlers who would promote commerce and travel, just as it was a problem to the earlier fur traders. The construction of roads and development of water routes progressed through the years until the railroad finally came to the Northwest, but at no time did the scarcity of roads prevent settlers from pushing back the frontier. Here the whole story of travel and travelers in this region is told for the first time. The book is based largely on primary sources and, as such, is a contribution to history. As an account of courage and ingenuity, transportation monopoly against transportation monopoly, and man versus nature, it is fascinating reading. University Professor of History at Indiana University, O. O. Winther is the author of Express and Stagecoach Days in California and Via Western Express and Stagecoach.

A Thrilling and Truthful History of the Pony Express
A Thrilling and Truthful History of the Pony Express

Author: William Lightfoot Visscher

Publisher:

Published: 2014-12-14

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9781462204380

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Hardcover reprint of the original 1908 edition - beautifully bound in brown cloth covers featuring titles stamped in gold, 8vo - 6x9. No adjustments have been made to the original text, giving readers the full antiquarian experience. For quality purposes, all text and images are printed as black and white. This item is printed on demand. Book Information: Visscher, William Lightfoot. A Thrilling And Truthful History Of The Pony Express; Or, Blazing The Westward Way, And Other Sketches And Incidents Of Those Stirring Times. Indiana: Repressed Publishing LLC, 2012. Original Publishing: Visscher, William Lightfoot. A Thrilling And Truthful History Of The Pony Express; Or, Blazing The Westward Way, And Other Sketches And Incidents Of Those Stirring Times, . Chicago: Rand, Mcnally & Co., 1908. Subject: Pony Express

The Western Horse
The Western Horse

Author: Randi Samuelson-Brown

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2024-09-01

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1493073850

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book celebrates the history and culture of the western horse, its ability to capture the popular imagination, and the means by which it has come to symbolize the American West. Beginning in the 1500s, The Western Horse delves into the origins and variations of the western breeds, their role in the expansion and settlement of the West, and the lawless element they attracted. The 1800s is when the stereotypes of Western Americana flourish accompanied by the ever-present horse. The mounted Plains tribes, cavalry, Pony Express, pioneers, stock detectives, cowboys, horse thieves, and the iconic rodeos come into perspective. The book dispels some of the falsehoods of the western horse and replace those inaccuracies with interesting facts. Case in point: many people grow up believing that the wild mustangs are the offspring the conquistador’s horses. While that belief is partially true, it is also partially incorrect. While the conquistadors returned with horses re-introducing them to the American landmass, the Spaniards only rode stallions. The progenitors of the mustangs likely occurred a bit later—lost stock of the Spanish settlers and the missions that returned into the wild.