MICHIANA HISTORY PUBLICATIONS

HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL MATERIALS ON:
ILLINOIS-INDIANA-MICHIGAN-OHIO AND SELECTED OTHER STATES

rockingk@michiana.org

Western Americana

This group of books includes gunfighters, outlaws, pioneers, mountain men, lawmen, towns, trails and generally just about everything else on the American West. These books provide excellent background information for anyone researching their pioneer ancestors and the times and towns in which they lived.

American Heritage Book of Great Adventures of the Old West. Compiled by the Editors of American Heritage. New York: American Heritage Press. 1969. 384 pages. Hardcover.

Note: ex library copy, with label, possession stamp, bar code, etc. Inside front and back hinges have been reinforced with library book tape.

Prior to the Civil War, some people in the Eastern and Southern states began to feel a lack of opportunity, and a loss of religious freedom. Others felt that the cities had become too crowded. Many of them headed for the vast open stretches of the West. They encountered hardships, hostile Indians, harsh winters, and grasshopper plagues. This book contains 20 articles written by historians and poets, all of which originally appeared in the American Heritage magazine, and document the hardships which these hearty pioneers encountered. Contains many photographs and illustrations.

Price: $5.00

Bent's Fort. By David Lavender. Garden City: Doubleday and Company. 1954. 450 pages. Hardback.

In 1831 Charles and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain, established a trading post and fort in Colorado, which became a major stop for Americans seeking new lands in Oregon and California. Every major trader and explorer spent time at Bent's Fort, while on their way into the pages of history. This book tells the story of Charles and William Bent, gives a brief background on their parents, (Bent's father was principal deputy surveyor in charge of Louisiana Territory), provides a background on early St. Louis where the Bent family lived, early fur trade, trade in Santa Fe, the Texas invasion of New Mexico, the capture of Santa Fe by American General Stephen Watts Kearny, Charles' establishment as governor of New Mexico, the New Mexican uprising, Charles' murder, William's retribution, his marriage to a Native American woman, their children, the beginning of Indian hostilities, the discovery of gold in Colorado, the Civil War, Indian wars, and some of William's sons joining their mother's people and rejecting the White Man's ways and their father.

Note: inscription of John B. Thrace on inside front cover. No dust jacket. Boards are worn and there is a stain on the spine.

Price: $6.00

Bourgmont. Explorer of the Missouri, 1698 - 1725. By Fank Norall. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln and London. 1988. 192 pages. Hardcover.

In the early 18th century, France laid claim to two-thirds of North America. Her traders navigated the major rivers of the American heartland a full century before the pioneers of the new United States. A few young men from good French families who got into trouble were often sent to New France. One of these young men was Entienne de Veniard, sieur de Borgemont. He came to the lower Missouri country around 1712 as a military deserter and outlaw, living with Indians for several years, becoming a power and legend among the tribes. He was the first known white man to explore this vast region and systematically record his observations. Because of his good influence, the French never had enemies on the Missouri. For his service to the French government he was elevated to the nobility and awarded the Cross of Saint Louis. A valuable contribution to the literature of French exploration in the trans-Mississippi West and the most comprehensive biography of Bourgmont that has been written.

Price: $15.00

Desert Between the Mountains. Mormons, Miners, Padres, Mountain Men, and the Opening of the Great Basin, 1772 - 1869. By Michael S. Durham. New York: Henry Holt and Co. 1997. 336 pages. Hardcover.

Note: ex-library, with possession stamp, bar code, etc.

Beginning with an explanation of the Great Basin's unique topography, the author discusses early nomadic Indian tribes, Spanish explorations, mountain men and fur trappers, as well as the dynamic Mormon culture which interacted with miners, the Pony Express, and railroad builders.

Price: $6.00

Destiny Road. The Gila Trail and the Opening of the Southwest. By Odie B. Faulk. New York: Oxford University Press. 1973. 232 pages. Hardcover.

Note: there is a black streak across the bottom outside pages, but not visible on individual pages when the book is open.

Stretching from Texas west to San Diego, the trail linked the newly acquired California territory with the rest of the nation and became the most famous stagecoach road between the two. This was one of the routes used by the Overland Mail.

Price: $22.50

Early Western Travels edited by Reuben G. Thwaites. Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1904 - 1907. First edition. 31 volumes of 32 volumes. Set 182 of 750 complete sets.

Note: Ex library set. Missing volume 25 (the Atlas volume). Volume 20 has been rebound. All other volumes are in their original binding. Some volumes have loose hinges. Some covers faded and rubbed. The condition of each volume varies, but none are in poor condition.

Thwaites was a leading historian who attempted to gather what he felt were important books and manuscripts concerning the development of the early United States between 1748 and 1846. By the time he was finished, he had compiled 32 volumes which he published between 1904 and 1907.

Price: $1200.00

Volume I (1748-1764)-

WEISER (CONRAD).

Journal of a Tour to the Ohio; August 11 - October 2, 1748. From Pennsylvania Colonial Records, v; with variations from Pennsylvania Historical Collections, i.

CROGHAN (GEORGE)

Selection of his Letters and Journals, relating to Tours into the Western Country; November 16, 1750 - November, 1765. From Pennsylvania Colonial Records, v-vii; Massachusetts Historical Collections (4th series), ix; Butler's History of Kentucky (Cincinnati and Louisville, 1836), Appendix, with variations from other sources; and New York Colonial Documents, vii.

POST (CHARLES FREDERICK).

Two Journals of Western Tours: one, to the neighborhood of Fort Duquesne (July-September, 1758); the other, to the Ohio (October, 1758-January, 1759). From Proud's History of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, 1798), ii, Appendix.

MORRIS (CAPTAIN THOMAS).

Journal of Captain Morris, of His Majesty's XVII Regiment of Infantry, relative to his thrilling experiences upon the Maumee; Detroit, September 25, 1764. Reprint from the author's Miscellanies in Prose and Verse (London, 1791)

Volume II (1768-1782)-

LONG (JOHN).

Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter and Trader, describing the Manners and Customs of the North American Indians; with an account of the Posts situated on the River Saint Laurence, Lake Ontario, &c.; to which is added, a Vocabulary of the Chippeway Language; Names of Furs and Skins, in English and French; list of words in the Iroquois, Mohegan, Shawanee, and Esquimeaux Tongues; and a Table, shewing the Analogy between the Algonkin and Chippeway Languages. Reprint of the original edition: London, 1791.

Volume III (1795-1803)-

MICHAUX (ANDRE).

Travels into Kentucky; July 15, 1793 - April II, 1796. Englished from the original French, appearing in American Philosophical Society Proceedings, 1889.

MICHAUX (FRANCOIS ANDRE).

Travels to the West of the Alleghany Mountains, in the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and back to Charleston by the Upper Carolines, etc.; September 24, 1801-March 26, 1803. Reprint of (second) London edition, 1805.

HARRIS (THADDEUS MASON).

Journal of a Tour into the Territory Northwest of the Alleghany Mountains; April 7-July 1, 1803. Reprint of the original edition. Boston, 1805 (the Journal proper, omitting Appendix as being outside the sphere of the present series).

Volume IV (1807-1809)-

CUMING (FORTESCUE).

Sketches of a Tour to the Western Country, through the States of Ohio and Kentucky; a Voyage down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and a Trip through the Mississippi Territory, and part of West Florida; January 8, 1807-April 1l, 1809. Reprint of the original edition. Pittsburg 1810 (omitting the irrelevant Appendix).

Volume V (1809-1812)-

BRADBURY (JOHN).

Travels in the Interior of America, including a description of Upper Louisiana, together with the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, with the Illinois, and Western Territories; December 31, 1809-January 20, 1812, with subsequent data in the Appendix. Reprint of (second) London edition, 1819.

Volume VI (1811-1814)-

BRACKENRIDGE (HENRY MARIE).

Journal of a Voyage up the River Missouri; April 2-August, 1811. Reprint of (second) Baltimore edition, 1816.

FRANCHERE (GABRIEL).

Narrative of a Voyage to the Northwest Coast of America, or the First American Settlement on the Pacific; July 26, 18ll-September 1, 1814. Translated and edited by J. V. Huntington. Reprint of (second) New York edition, 1854.

Volume VII (1810-1814)-

ROSS (ALEXANDER).

Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River: being a Narrative of the Expedition fitted out by John Jacob Astor, to establish the "Pacific Fur Company;" with an account of the Indian tribes on the Coast of the Pacific; May, 1810-April 4, 1814. Reprint of the original edition: London, 1849.

Volume VIII (1804-1821)-

BUTTRICK (TILLY, JR.).

Voyages, Travels, and Discoveries; September 10, 1804-October 20, 1821. Reprint of original edition: Boston, 1831.

EVANS (ESTWICK).

A Pedestrious Tour, of Four Thousand Miles, through the Western States and Territories; February 2-July, 1818. Reprint of the original edition: Concord, New Hampshire, 1819.

Volume IX (1818-1820)-

FLINT (JAMES).

Letters from America; July 10, 1818-November 9, 1820. Reprint of the original edition: Edinburgh, 1822.

Volume X (1818-1821) -

HULME (THOMAS).

Journal made during a Tour in the Western Countries of America (Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois); September 30, 1818-August 7, 1819. Reprint from Cobbett's A Year's Residence in the United States of America (London, 1828).

FLOWER (RICHARD).

Letters from Lexington (June 25, 1819) and the Illinois (August 16, 1819). Reprint of the original edition: London, 1819.

FLOWER (RICHARD).

Letters from the Illinois; January 18, 1820-May 7, 1821. Reprint of the original edition: London, 1822.

WOODS (JOHN).

Two Years' Residence in the Settlement on the English Prairie, in the Illinois Country; June 5, 1820 July 3, 1821. Reprint of the original edition: London, 1822.

Volumes XI and XII (1818-1820)-

FAUX (WILLIAM).

Memorable days in America: being a Journal of a Tour to the United States, principally undertaken to ascertain, by positive evidence, the condition and probable prospects of British Emigrants; including Accounts of Mr. Birkbeck's settlement in the Illinois; November 27, 1818-July 21, 1820. Reprint of the original edition: London, 1823.

WELBY (ADLARD).

A Visit to North America and the English Settlements in Illinois, with a Winter Residence at Philadelphia; solely to ascertain the actual prospects of the emigrating agriculturist, mechanic, and commercial speculator; May 5, 1819-May 10, 1820. Reprint of the original edition: London, 1821.

Volume XIII (1818-1820)-

NUTTALL (THOMAS).

A Journal of Travels into the Arkansa Territory, with occasional observations on the manners of the Aborigines; October 2, 1818-February 18, 1820. Reprint of the original edition: Philadelphia, 1821.

Volumes XIV, XV, XVI, and XVII (1819-1820)-

JAMES (EDWIN).

Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, performed by order of the Hon. J. C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, . . . compiled from the Notes of Maj. S. H. Long, Mr. T. Say, and other Gentlemen of the Party; March 31, 18l9-November 22, 1820. Text reprinted from the 3-volume London edition, 1823; Preliminary Notice, Long and Swift's calculations of observations, and Say's vocabularies of Indian languages, from the Philadelphia edition of the same year.

Volume XVIII (1824-l830)-

PATTIE (JAMES 0.).

Personal Narrative during an Expedition from St. Louis through the Vast Regions between that place and the Pacific Ocean, and thence back through the City of Mexico to Vera Cruz, etc-; June 20, 1824-August 30, 1830. Edited by Timothy Flint, with additional articles by Doctor Willard and Conrad MalteBrun. Reprint of the original edition: Cincinnati, 1831.

Volumes XIX and XX (1821-1839)-

OGDEN (GEORGE W.).

Letters from the West, comprising a Tour through the Western Country, and a residence of two Summers in the States of Ohio and Kentucky; 1821-1823. Reprint of original edition: New Bedford, Mass., 1823.

BULLOCK (WILLIAM).

Sketch of a Journey through the Western States of North America, from New Orleans, by the Mississippi, Ohio, City of Cincinnati, and Falls of Niagara, to New York, in 1827. Reprint of original edition: London, 1827.

GREGG (JOSIAH).

Commerce of the Prairies: or, the Journal of a Santa Fe Trader, during eight expeditions across the Great Western Prairies, and a residence of nearly nine years in Northern Mexico; 1831-1839. Reprint of the 2 volume New York edition (second), 1845.

Volume XXI (1832-1836)-

WYETH (JOHN B.).

Oregon; or, short History of a long Journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the region of the Pacific, by land; March 1, 1832-January 2, 1833. Reprint of the original edition: Cambridge, 1833.

TOWNSEND (JOHN K.).

Journey across the Rocky Mountains, to the Columbia River; March 24-November 30, 1836. Reprint of original edition: Philaddphia, 1839 - omitting visit to Hawaii and South America, and the now unessential Appendix.

Volumes XXII, XXIII, and XXIV (1833-1834)-

MAXIMILIAN, PRINCE OF WIED-NEUWIED.

Travels in the Interior of North America; May 17, 1832-August 8, 1834. Translated from the German by Hannibal Evans Lloyd. Reprint of original (English) edition: London, 1843 - with additional material in the Appendix (Volume xxiv), translated by Asa Currier Tilton for the present reprint from the original German edition (Coblentz, 1839).

Volume XXV (1833-1834)- THIS IS THE MISSING VOLUME

CHARLES BODMER'S FAMOUS ATLAS TO MAXIMILLAN.

Plates reproduced from the French edition: Paris, 1843.

Volumes XXVI and XXVII (1836-1842)-

FLAGG (EDMUND).

The Far West: or, a Tour beyond the Mountains; Jun - Autumn, 1836. Reprint of the 2-volume original edition: New York, 1838.

SMET (PIERRE JEAN DE).

Letters and Sketches: with a Narrative of a Year's Residence among the Indian Tribes of the Rocky Mountains; February 4, 184l-November 1, 1842. Reprint of original edition: Philadelphia, 1843.

Volumes XXVIII and XXIX (1839-1846)-

FARNHAM (THOMAS J.).

Travels in the Great Western Prairie, the Anahuac, and Rocky Mountains, and in the Oregon Territory; May 21-October 16, 1839. Reprint of the London edition: 1843.

SMET (PIERRE JEAN DE).

Oregon Missions and Travels over the Rocky Mountains; February 15, 1844-August 17, 1846. Reprint of the original edition: New York, 1847.

Volume XXX (1845-1846)-

PALMER (JOEL).

Journal of Travels over the Rocky Mountains, to the mouth of the Columbia River; April 16, 1845-July 23, 1846. Reprint of the original edition: Cincinnati, 1847.

Volumes XXXI and XXXII-

Analytical Index to the Series

Price: $1200.00

Frontier Regulars. The United States Army and the Indian, 1866 - 1891. By Robert M. Utley. New York: MacMillan and Co. 466 pages. Hardcover.

Note: Book Club Edition. Some wear on book jacket.

In less than a quarter of a century the railroads had crossed the nation, destroying the buffalo, and ultimately crushing Native American civilizations. As their cultures crumbled, Native Americans valiantly fought back but encountered a well trained, better equipped United States Army. At the same time, the Army found itself fighting an unconventional war with outdated military tactics and doctrines. The final result was the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890.

Price: $5.00

High Country Empire. The High Plains and Rockies. By Robert G. Athearn. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1960. 358 pages. Hardcover.

Note: Ex- library, with possession stamp, bar code, etc.

The vividly written story of the upper western area including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. Begins with the Louisiana Purchase, trappers, opening of the west, cattle ranges, farmers, the Dust Bowl, and much more.

Price: $5.00

The History of the Comstock Lode, 1850 - 1920. By Grant H. Smith. Reno: Nevada State Bureau of Mines. 1954 reprint of 1943 edition. 297 pages. Softcover.

Note: some wear on cover.

This was the first comprehensive, chronological mining history of the Comstock Lode covering seventy years. Included are information on John McKay, the first placer mining, the Grosh brothers, the Civil War, the Depression of 1864, the Sutro tunnel, the silver boom, the stock market crash of 1875, Comstock millionaires, miners and wages, the Comstock production record, and much more. Contains several photographs and illustrations.

Price: $5.00

History of the Comstock Silver Lode and Mines By Dan De Quille (William Wright). New York: Promontory Press. 1974. 1973 reprint of book originally published in 1889. 158 pages. Hardcover.

Note black marker has darkened out the possession stamp of the previous owner.

Price: $6.00

I've Killed Men. An Epic of Early Arizona. By Jack Ganzhorn. New York: Devin-Adair Company. 1959. First American edition of a book originally published in London in 1940. 256 pages. Hardcover.

Note: ex-library edition with labels, etc. Some ink doodles on back flyleaf.

This is the true story of the "fastest an on the draw" in frontier Arizona. Exactly 3/5 of a second elapsed between Ganzhorn's draw and sure death. He never missed. Ganzhorn was born in 1878 on the San Carlos Reservation, spent his early days in Tombstone, learned gambling and was hired by gambling houses to run their games. He served in the Philippine Insurrection, and later worked for mines in Mexico, where he was involved in a gunfight in which he killed six Mexican policemen. He died in 1956.

Price: $5.00

Nothing Like it in the World. The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863 - 1869. By Stephen E. Ambrose. New York: Simon and Schuster. 2000. 431 pages. Hardcover.

Note: Ex-library copy, with possession stamp, labels, bar code, etc.

Ambrose writes a compelling history of the transcontinental railroad - the investors who risked their businesses and money; the enlightened politicians who understood its importance, the engineers and surveyors who risked their lives, the Irish and Chinese immigrants, Confederate soldiers, and others. Contains many photographs.

Price: $5.00

The Road to Oregon. A Chronicle of the Great Emigrant Trail. By W. J. Ghent. New York: Tudor Publishing Co. 1934 reprint of 1929 edition. 274 pages. Hardcover.

Note: inside flyleaf loose. Inscription: "To Norman 12/1936. Merry Christmas Link [or Lisa]".

Discusses Jim Bridger, early missionaries, Marcus Whitman, John Bidwell and other early pioneers, various forts, the gold rush, and much more.

Price: $25.00

Spanish Bluecoats. The Catalonian Volunteers in Northwestern New Spain, 1767 - 1810. By Joseph P. Sanchez. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. 1990. First Edition. 196 pages. Hardcover.

The history of the Free Company of Catalonian Volunteers begins with the Spanish crown's last efforts to consolidate its empire following the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763). The Peace of Paris of 1763 had given Spanish sovereignty over a portion of the Mississippi river, extending from St. Louis to New Orleans. For nearly five decades, from 1767 to 1815, the Free Company of Volunteers participated in protecting this newly acquired land as well as Sonora, California and Alaska. They subdued Native American uprisings explored the interior of California and helped to establish San Diego. They ended their military existence as part of the royalists armies of Mexico fighting Mexican insurgents. Although their historical significance has been widely recognized for nearly a century precisely who served in the company, how it was organized, and how fully the volunteers influenced the course of regional history has not been fully attempted until this book.

Price: $15.00

Virgil Earp, Western Peace Officer. By Donald Chaput. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. `1st printing of paper edition. 1996. 255 pages. Softcover.

Note: cover has some scratches and indentations.

The life of Wyatt Earp has overshadowed the lives of his brothers. Now, for the first time, Chaput provides a separate thoroughly researched biography of the oldest of the Earp brothers, his life as a frontier lawman for nearly thirty years and family man. Although the famous gunfight at the O. K. Corral is covered, the book covers the lawman's full life. Contains several illustrations and photographs.

Price: $10.00

Will accept money orders, cashier’s checks, business and personal checks. Personal checks must clear before I will send book. Please add $4.50 for postage. Indiana residents please include 6% tax. Please check out our other auctions.

Westward Vision. The Oregon Trail. By David Lavender. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1963. 424 pages. Hardcover.

Note: ex-library copy with possession stamp, labels. Etc.

Tells the exciting beginnings of the Oregon Trail and its several branches through Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. But it was not a trail that was developed overnight. It came about as part of the search for the fabled Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean and the expeditions of Lewis and Clark, John Colter, Ramsey Crooks and other traders and trappers.

Price: $6.00

Wild and Woolly. An Encyclopedia of the Old West. By Denis McLoughlin. New York: Doubleday and co. 1975. 570 pages. Hardcover.

Note: Ex-library copy, with possession stamp, label, bar code, etc.

This book is not intended as a reference work on the United States or as a complete coverage of every article, person, or event that existed or occurred during the era of western expansion. The information is confined to states west of the Mississippi River from the forty-ninth parallel to the Rio Grande.

Price: $6.00