Montana Books

Earl Murray really is one of the best western writers still putting out new books. I love Louis and Zane, but have finished most of their works. I now consider Earl one of my favorites, and love how well researched his books are. You can almost taste the old west.

"Roadside History of Montana" is a very good book on the history of Montana but beyond that it is a valuable outdoor recreation tool. Along with "Roadside Geology of Montana" this book adds wheels to reading. The concept of formatting a book to follow highways has opened up new vistas for me when traveling with a companion to read as you travel, or to study in advance when traveling solo. This concept has increased my enjoyment of ALL of my outdoor activities, at least the getting there part.

A good resource. But, be sure to get the current version, both of the last two editions are still in print. We used this for a long rockhounding trip and were quite satisfied. As rockhounders know, many rockhounding books simply recycle well known sites and don't add much, if any, value. This book is worth a read.

This is a good history that draws the genesis of Montana, Colorado and Wyoming together. Often many texts take the West as a whole, or take the individual states and recount their history. Here is a book that takes the region, examines the three different parts (Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming) and then puts them into context with what was happening in America. This is good contextualization and very solid research.

Really, the underlying theme of this book tends to be the push and pull between the states and the federal government. It tackles the states' push to become states instead of territories and it also deals with the Eastern-dominated federal government trying to apply its sensibilities to the very different West. For example, the push against silver and the national labor movements.

Smith does a good job of blending all three states' histories together to make a larger history with some interesting themes. He also traces the states from their very painful beginnings to the awkward-teenager growing stages of the early 20th century.

The book is geared more towards the students of Western U.S. history. This isn't necessarily a primer or survey course on the history of these intermountain states. Smith assumes you already know something about these states. That having been said, it is still a wonderful read that weaves together many issues and sources.

Andrea Constantine Hawkes has done a wonderful job of describing New England social history through the lens of a family, the Vickerys. The Vickery history starts with fishermen in Massachusetts Bay who later settle in a farming community in mid state Maine, Unity. It is the most reader friendly geneology I've read as Ms. Hawkes weaves the events of the day into the story of 10 generations. I particularly enjoyed the "detour" to Montana, where one branch of the Vickerys ( and Unity, Maine) settled.
I recommend the book for non professional readers of New England history who want a glimpse into the life of our ancestors.

Electa Bryan Plummer was the outlaw Henry Plummer's wife. Little else is known of her, but in this novel, author Pat Pfeiffer brings Electa and the last days of Henry Plummer to life in a tale that rings with truth.

Pfeiffer tells the story from a split point of view. In the first, upon her death, Electa's son sets out to solve the mystery of his mother's past after he is left three enigmatic clues. The trail leads him to 1912 Montana, and Henry Plummer's ill-gotten gold, which in truth, has never been found.

Next, Alexa takes up her own story, telling us of her hopes, fears and aspirations. With her, we experience the tremendous hardship at the missionary endeavor of Sun River Farm, 1862 Montana Territory, and later, her growing distrust of her husband as the sheriff's wife in the gold camp of Bannack, Montana.

The story makes for fascinating reading as Electa follows a path of disillusionment in her marriage, and redemption in her escape.

This book is a marvelous read. The author has uncovered a legendary story of tragedy and triumph. In 1889, Spokane, a Montana horse, won the Kentucky Derby and set a record. His saga is a frontier tale of Indians, soldiers, a bone yard, silver mining, and a round barn. I found it to be a well-documented history, and I thank Susan for having the courage to research and preserve a haunting horse story that might otherwise have been forgotten.

This book covered what it is like to be a sports hero and nothave an attitude about it. The people talked about in this book arehero's without being arrogant or hateful.

The author profiles the life of Mary Fields, a freed slave who,as the first African American woman letter carrier, delivered theU.S. mail via stagecoach between Cascade, Montana, and St. Peter's Mission in the late 1800s. Although Miller cites no sources and relates this tale in a style more suited to folklore than to biography, he does present a picture of a strong, independent woman who never allowed others to take advantage of her. Hanna's lively colored pencil drawings bring the cigar-chomping, gun-slinging heroine to life and include many details of the Montana frontier. A useful addition to units on African Americans and U.S. history, or, pair it with Geis' The First Ride , another perspective on pioneer mail delivery. Kay Weisman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This is a good introduction to the Crow sundance, and commemorates the 50th anniversary of this religious practice among the Crow people, once banned by federal law. It has quite a few pictures, and makes an excellent companion volume to the more detailed work "Yellowtail: Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief", which is much heavier on history, and is more biography of Tom Yellowtail.