Reviews
"If you are stirred by the legends that endure around the opening of the American West, then poking through the index of Dary's book will send chills down your neck. There are great names here: Jedediah Smith, the mountain man who once, famously, survived a grizzly-bear attack and had a companion sew his ear back onto his head; Kit Carson, the celebrated scout; John C. Fremont, a.k.a. 'The Pathfinder'; Zebulon Pike, the map maker, and, perhaps, secret agent; Buffalo Bill Cody. . . . But what is often missed in the story of the Western frontier is how much it was not about destiny--manifest or otherwise--but about commerce. This is a story that Dary tells comprehensively and ably."-- Wall Street Journal "Dary demonstrates a firm grasp of the terrain's history and is skilled at resurrecting the old lives of this landscape. . . . A densely populated account executed with fine historical veracity."-- Kirkus "A grand, sprawling story, populated by characters whose voices emerge loud and clear from their journals and letters . . . An unforgettable procession of dreamers and doers, losers and winners, villains and heroes (and heroines) in a well-told and carefully researched tale."-- New York Times Book Review "Rich with fascinating detail about how travelers made their way across those nearly 900 miles, what they packed, what animals they used, how much the freight weighed and what it was worth, and who those travelers were."-- Washington Post "Dary has done it again with this masterful treatment of a great American emblem."-- Los Angeles Times "Will be the standard source for the trail's history for years to come."-- Booklist, If you are stirred by the legends that endure around the opening of the American West, then poking through the index of Darys book will send chills down your neck. There are great names here: Jedediah Smith, the mountain man who once, famously, survived a grizzly-bear attack and had a companion sew his ear back onto his head; Kit Carson, the celebrated scout; John C. Fremont, a.k.a. The Pathfinder; Zebulon Pike, the map maker, and, perhaps, secret agent; Buffalo Bill Cody. . . . But what is often missed in the story of the Western frontier is how much it was not about destinymanifest or otherwisebut about commerce. This is a story that Dary tells comprehensively and ably.Wall Street Journal Dary demonstrates a firm grasp of the terrains history and is skilled at resurrecting the old lives of this landscape. . . . A densely populated account executed with fine historical veracity.Kirkus A grand, sprawling story, populated by characters whose voices emerge loud and clear from their journals and letters . . . An unforgettable procession of dreamers and doers, losers and winners, villains and heroes (and heroines) in a well-told and carefully researched tale.New York Times Book Review Rich with fascinating detail about how travelers made their way across those nearly 900 miles, what they packed, what animals they used, how much the freight weighed and what it was worth, and who those travelers were.Washington Post Dary has done it again with this masterful treatment of a great American emblem.Los Angeles Times Will be the standard source for the trails history for years to come.Booklist
Table of Content
Acknowledgments Introduction 1. From Conquest to de Onate, 1492?1610 2. the Attraction of Santa Fe, 1610?1762 3. Trails to Santa Fe, 1762?1807 4. Destination Santa Fe, 1807?1822 5. The Santa Fe Trail, 1822?1825 6. Surveying the Road to Santa Fe, 1825?1827 7. The Business of Trade, 1821?1829 8. The Growth of Trade, 1830?1835 9. The Growth of Trade, 1830?1835 10. Years of Change, 1840?1845 11. The Mexican War and the Santa Fe Trade, 1846?1848 12. Forts, Emigrants, and Freighting, 1849?1852 13. New Tensions and Trade, 1853?1860 14. The Civil War, 1861?1865 15. The Slow Death of the Trail, 1866?1880 16. The Legacy of the Trail, 1880?2000 Glossary Notes Bibliography Index
