Buffalo Soldiers

Buffalo Soldiers

Written by: Catherine Reef

"This book recounts the deeds of the 9th and 10th Cavalry, comprised of African American soldiers who kept peace between Indians and settlers on the western frontier, fought in the Spanish-American War, and pursued the outlaw Pancho Villa through Mexico."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.buffalosoldier.net/
http://www.buffalosoldiermuseum.com/

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

Written by: Dee Brown

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's classic, eloquent, meticulously documented account of the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the nineteenth century. A national bestseller in hardcover for more than a year after its initial publication, it has sold over four million copies in multiple editions and has been translated into seventeen languages.

Using council records, autobiographies, and firsthand descriptions, Brown allows great chiefs and warriors of the Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes to tell us in their own words of the series of battles, massacres, and broken treaties that finally left them and their people demoralized and decimated. A unique and disturbing narrative told with force and clarity, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee changed forever our vision of how the West was won, and lost. It tells a story that should not be forgotten, and so must be retold from time to time."

Publishers Description

Online Resources:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/knee.htm
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Wounded_Knee,_South_Dakota

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark

How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark

Written by: Rosalyn Schanzer

Easy Readability

"A simplified version of the diaries of Lewis and Clark; in an introduction, Schanzer explains how she condensed much of the excitement and adventure of the 40 volumes into this one. The book follows the route mapped out on the end papers, beginning with President Jefferson's request that the two explore the west, and ending when Lewis and Clark return two years later to St. Charles (near St. Louis), long after everyone thought they'd died. In that time the two men discovered many new animals and plants, met with Indian tribes, and created new maps of the uncharted territories. Schanzer often breaks up the page into a series of vignettes with captions, effectively covering many of their experiences in a small space. Her drawings include portraits of the members of the expedition and other details that make an already authentic text all the richer."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/

Words West: The Voices of Young Pioneers

Words West: The Voices of Young Pioneers

Written by: Ginger Wadsworth

"This book records the thoughts and feelings of the pioneer children who traveled west between 1830 and 1870 in wagon trains. They often encountered severe heat and extreme cold, hostile Indians, the death of friends and family, terrible illnesses, and great hunger. They also witnessed the beauty of the untouched West. The letters , diaries, and memoirs of these children and young people quoted in this book tell their stories in their own words. They are accompanied by archival photographs and prints. Together the stories and pictures help today's children and young people understand their counterparts from another era. A great primary source for those studying the pioneer period of history."

Product Description

Online Resources:
http://www.gingerwadsworth.com/
*Scroll to bottom of page for additional links

On the Trail of Sacagawea

On the Trail of Sacagawea

Written by: Peter Lourie

"In this handsome book, archaeologist and researcher Lourie chronicles a trip he took with his family along the path of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, beginning where Sacagawea joined the explorers and hoping to compare what exists now with what she might have seen. The family traveled through Native American land where historic sites remain untouched and the people practice traditional customs, fishing in the streams that the explorers fished in, swimming in the same hot springs, and eventually arriving at a reconstructed Fort Clatsop, where the river meets the ocean. Throughout, Lourie intersperses his family's adventures with the history of the Corps of Discovery in a comparison that conveys the rugged beauty and harsh terrain that the explorers must have experienced. The book is illustrated with the author's striking color photographs, as well as paintings and archival photos. An epilogue offers different theories of what became of Sacagawea."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.peterlourie.com/journeys/sacagawea/

Gold Rush Women

Gold Rush Women

Written by: Claire Rudolf Murphy

"The women who joined the gold rushes in the Yukon and Alaska between the late 1880s and the early 1900s get scant attention in the history books. This collective biography draws on primary sources to tell their stories, with fascinating historical photographs and portraits on every page. Some women went with men, some went alone. They panned for gold, ran boardinghouses and grub tents, worked as dance-hall girls and prostitutes. Ethel Berry was one of the first Klondike millionaires. Klondike Kate, a Tagish native, never got any money from the gold she helped discover. One whole section is devoted to the important roles played by Native American women in the region. Martha Louise Block, a wealthy Chicago matron, said of her adventure: "What I wanted was not shelter and safety, but liberty and opportunity." Lots of sidebars provide general information, including one newspaper article telling women what to pack and what to leave behind. With its handsome, browsable design, this will be welcome for classroom reports and for personal reading."

Booklist Review

Online Resources:
http://www.goldrush.com/~joann/
http://www.sierrafoothillmagazine.com/women.html
http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/gold/women.html
http://www.clairerudolfmurphy.com/Gold_Rush_Women.html

Children of the Gold Rush

Children of the Gold Rush

Written by: Jane G Haigh & Claire Rudolf Murphy

"This excellent, well-researched book offers a rare peek into a fascinating culture, history, and people, in portraits of eight intrepid children and their families during the Alaskan/Yukon Territory gold rush. Murphy and Haigh give voices to children who tell of dangerous journeys to Alaskan mining camps, the brutal, cold winters, building small towns in rough terrain, and the disintegration of many families due to gold fever. The children adapted to a whole new way of life, prospected, entertained miners, and felt the effects of sudden fortune or bleak poverty. Fascinating sidebars address other children of the gold rush or other facets of that life, from schooling and the use of sled dogs, to panning for gold. Although the hardships are never glossed over, the design of the book has an antique charm, with photographs, ticket stubs, old handbills, maps, and journal excerpts, glossary, and further reading."

Kirkus Reviews

Online Resources:
http://www.clairerudolfmurphy.com/Children_of_the_Gold_Rush.html
http://pbskids.org/wayback/goldrush/goldfever.html
http://www.malakoff.com/goldcountry/history.htm

Children of the Wild West

Children of the Wild West

Written by: Russell Freedman

Easy Readability

"In an engaging, accessible tone, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman gives today's young readers an insight into the lives of kids growing up in the American West in the late 19th century. He describes the experience of traveling west by wagon train, exploring the reactions of pioneer children to life on the road, school days, holidays, and their encounters — both good and bad — with Native Americans. He also looks at the unique experiences of the Native American children, growing up at a time when the influx of white settlers was turning their world upside-down. Whatever their circumstances, the resourceful children of the West demonstrated the infinite adaptability of children everywhere."

Scholastic.com

Online Resources:
http://edhelper.com/books/Children_of_the_Wild_West.htm
http://www.waldsfe.org/unitstudies/WestwardMovement.htm

The Great American Gold Rush

The Great American Gold Rush

Written by: Rhoda Bloomberg

"An important and compelling period of our country's history is brought to life in Blumberg's account, with its exciting, "you-are-there" quality. Drawn extensively from primary sources, the material includes extracts and quotations from letters, diaries and newspapers, as well as reproductions of period cartoons, posters, ads and sketches. Footnotes and maps expand the text in which a handsome typeface is framed by wide margins on generously sized pages, creating an open, inviting look. Much information on 19th-century attitudes toward minorities and women--and the effects of those attitudes during the Gold Rush era--is presented."

Publishers Weekly Review

Online Resources:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/californiagoldrush.htm