Wyoming Books

Wanted to stress, as the other reader did, that this is NOT in reference to the State of Wyoming, but rather Wyoming County in Pennsylvania. I ordered it from an eBay seller a while back, having never heard of it, and the seller was listing it as the cowboy state's history. I was unhappily surprised, and he refunded my money.

I do wish it was in the title. I did not read it, so my "rating" means nothing.

This book is, of course, about the Wyoming Valley of the Susquehanna River near Wilkes Barre, PA. It gives additional details about the Wyoming Massacre and the Battle of Wyoming that enhance one's understanding and is a good book to have along with Charles Miner's book "The History of Wyoming." This book is of value to people who are interested in the history of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Black-footed ferrets, as some of you will already know, are an *extremely* endangered animal that lives in prairie dog colonies. They were believed extinct until a dog in Meeteetse, Wyoming, killed one who was stealing from his supper dish. Fortunately, that wasn't the last of the ferrets. The Meeteetse community survives, and they have been reintroduced into a few national parks, where they are hanging on. The authors are experts on black-footed ferret biology, and have been active in the recovery programs for this species.

Knowing all this, I expected an interesting but somewhat dry account. Well, I was surprised. The book is remarkably lively, at least for the first two-thirds or so.

Each chapter starts with a story from a ferret's life, such as a prairie dog kill or a mating. One or more of the authors observed each of these events, and they "humanize" the animals considerably. After the story, each chapter moves to a discussion of its theme, such as habitat or predatory behavior. These are written in an easy, almost-conversational style (but with too many scientific passive voices). The authors provide a plausible account of the ferret, filling in gaps with reference to closely-related species such as the Siberian ferret.

Though not organized as such, the book consists of three parts. The first part covers both ferret and prairie dog ecology, interlaced with stories of individual animals. For example, the chapter on ferret hunting techniques begins with a narrative of a ferret killing a prairie dog. This literary device works well to grab your attention and sets the stage for the more scientific material that follows in each chapter. This part is written in a lively style throughout and is accessible to the general reader.

The middle part of the book focuses on the rediscovery of black-footed ferrets outside Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981. It also covers the initial recovery effort and captive breeding program, and it relies heavily on the involvement of the authors in these efforts. They are very critical of the state of Wyoming and of the decision by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to delegate authority for ferret recovery to the state. For all its strengths, it is written in a slightly less accessible style.

The third part tries to draw general lessons about endangered-species recovery from these experiences. A single chapter would have sufficed, but the authors drag these issues out over several chapters. They attempt to draw lessons about the politics of endangered species, organizational behavior, and other social-scientific topics, but in the end they do not have sufficient familiarity with these issues to develop much insight into these issues. As a result, too much of this part reads like summaries of a social-scientific literature - - "things we wish we had understood better when we began ferret recovery." The style becomes dry, and the book drags.

I was going to give this book five stars two-thirds of the way through, and it lost that star in these final chapters. The first half or two-thirds is very strong, and an excellent introduction to black-footed ferrets. You'll also learn a lot about black-tailed prairie dogs. If, in the later chapters, your interest wanes - - put the book down. You won't miss anything.

An excellent book, covering everything from the history of this rare species, its decline, the reasons for its near-extinction, its biology, and the ongoing recovery program. I recommend this book to anybody interested in black-footed ferrets or any endangered species recovery. The book is written in layman's terms without being overly simple in explanation with plenty of pictures and drawings to make it more interesting. A great addition to any library!

This is an invaluable book because it is a first-person account of a moment in history--South Pass, Wyoming in 1868. The writer was sent by his Chicago newspaper to send back stories for newspaper readers in the East and Midwest eager for news and information of the expanding West, and especially any discovery of gold and untold riches. If you like very well written prose that takes you back to a time long gone, and to a subject that continues to resonate in the imagination, you will love this book. It takes you back to that time and that place in a way no history book can because it was written at that time and place by an astute contemporary observer. Put this one on your shelf next to "Journal of a Trapper", "The Santa Fe Trail," and "The Sweet Smell of Sagebrush."

Except for a few splatterings of philosophical and somewhat impertinent ramblings, James Chisholm's journal of the 1868 Wyoming Gold Rush at South Pass is a colorful first-hand glimpse into life during this time period.
Chisholm was a reporter from the Chicago Tribune whose assignment was to report on the activities of the Sweetwater Mines. Traveling by train from Chicago to "end-of-the-track's town" Cheyenne, Wyoming his reports of vigilante hangings, killings and life in Cheyenne are paramount for this time and place.
As the railroad advanced westward, he took leave of the train at Green River and continued north by horse and wagon to South Pass in search of the gold mines. Chisholm is very descriptive of geographical landforms, the people he encounters, the demeanor of the miners, experiencing the climatic elements, getting lost, accidently setting the prairies on fire (twice), his callous viewpoints on Indians, glowing reports of the Wind River Valley for future economic potential, his two exploratory trips into these Wind River Mountains and the overall profile of the gold mines.
An insightful read.

Have you ever followed a car with a Wyoming license plate, or watched a Wyoming Cowboys football game, and wondered about that horse and rider? This book is by far the best and most consolidated source of information that you will find.

Steamboat, Legendary Bucking Horse, is an amazing story that all who love the wild west and live there should know. Many people use Steamboat for a symbol, even the state of Wyoming, and few know anything about this legend. It is truly a story that should be well known to all those who know the name Steamboat.

I spent three summers in Dave Bragonier's Yellowstone Country and appreciate his true depiction of history in the area and his candor relating to present-day problems such as the overpopulation of some species labeled endangered.
Dave writes what spoken words can not express when it comes to the most glorious, still untamed wilderness areas of the Yellowstone, Bridger and Shoneshone Natinal Forests.
A job well done... I hope he writes more.
Patricia Probert Gott, author Cowgirl Series.

I first found this title after reading C.J. Box's mystery series about fictional Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. This book is a game warden's memoirs recounted around a number of issues, like the Yellowstone fires of 1988, increasing human/grizzly interaction, and a variety of outdoor topics. I found the book to be quite entertaining and readbale and presented in easy to read, straightforward language. I would recommend this book to any hunters, outdoorsman, wildlife photographers, hikers, and those who love the American West.

The state in the title of Barry Gifford's "Wyoming" is not the Cowboy State, but a state of mind. To the mother and son traveling together by car in the 1950s -- not on one trip but a series of trips over several years -- Wyoming represents sanctuary. It's a place where one can hide and never be found, where horses run in the open country and cool breezes blow, a good place to have a dog.

But they never go. Instead, Roy and his mother Kitty stick to the main roads, exploring swamps, roach-infested motels, Civil War graveyards and greasy spoons on the Gulf Coast. The purposes of their desultory journeys are not always clear, sometimes hurtling toward a shabby liaison, sometimes unfolding in the slow aimlessness of "concertina locomotion." The reader seldom knows the real destination, although the route always runs through an ambiguous landscape of lost dreams and poignant hopes.

The 34 vignettes sketch the bare outlines of Roy and Kitty, abandoned in Florida by an absent father with apparent mob ties. Roy dreams of being a baseball player, or an architect, or a fisherman; Kitty dreams of survival. *How* mother and son survive is never known, although the reader can deduce that Kitty occasionally leaves their various motel rooms at night.

The rhythms of the conversation are remarkably true and, although a story told completely in dialogue runs a very narrow gauge, the talk is keen and occasionally deeply poetic, such as this moment when young Roy talks about the human spirit:

"Your soul flies away like a crow when you die and hides in a cloud. When it rains that means the clouds are full of souls and some of 'em are squeezed out. Rain is the dead souls there's no more room for in heaven."

"Did Nanny tell you this, Roy?"

"No, it's just something I thought."

"Baby, there's no way I'll ever think about rain the same way again."

In the end, Roy and his mother speed past too quickly. We see them for a moment, and they are gone. No time for questions and, although it appears they never get to Wyoming, the reader is left hoping -- not knowing -- they found a place to land.

I really enjoyed this book because of all the hope and sensitivity it presented in its short 127 pages. It's one of the most touching stories I have read in a long while. It was a nice change. "Wyoming" tells the story of a mother and her young 9 year old son, Roy, who travel together by car through the south and mid-west United States during the 1950's. There trip to "Wyoming" exists as a state of mind rather than an actual place. The story is told entirely in dialogue, where they both discuss their lives, hopes and dreams.

I thought the questions the son asks on the trip were the same type all children ask when we are young, inquisitive, and innocent. We view the world at that age as a wonderful place full of surprises and many mysteries.. The author brought this out in little Roy in a wonderful way. This mother and son were two people you would really want to know. When Roy asks questions like: "Mom, when birds die, what happens to their souls?" or "What would happen if there was no sun?" and "Mom, after I die I want to come back as a flamingo" who could not love this little boy? For the short time it takes to read this wonderful story, it's more than worth the effort. Highly recommended!

This book just misses being great romance. Funny, too, because it seemed that the author went out of his way to shun all paths that would have taken the story in that direction. Too bad. But for what it is, it's a fast and entertaining read. The dialogue sparkled, and the author was extremely comfortable in both his settings (New York City and Wyoming) and time period (circa 1870's). Lack of romance notwithstanding, it makes me want to read the first two in the series.

I can not say enough about the Baynes Clan series of books. McCord is equal in every way to Louis L'Lamour in his writing abilities. I just wonder why someone has not made a movie of the Baynes Clan yet. It is the best family western series since the Sacketts and I do not exagerate at all. After reading the Baynes Clan and Walking Hawk, another excellent book by McCord, I am a devoted fan of his writing style. I am eagerly awaiting his next western book!!! ~Bev. Bozman~

A very informative book. I enjoyed the history included. I am very impressed with the information included in this guide.

Add another travel guide to Wyoming's burgeoning outdoor-activity series. "The Wyoming Guide" by Sierra Adare (Fulcrum Publishing, $17.95 paperback, 256 pages) is better than many of the destination-oriented books that have been recently published for the Cowboy State, with lots of "factoids" and user-friendly breakouts among the well-organized listings. It divides the state into six distinct regions, then subdivides those regions by major attractions, listing unique and interesting sights, history, fun things for families, restaurants, lodging and more. The amount of information is wide, but not deep.

My own town's listings, for instance, aren't much different from most other guidebooks' listings. They hit the high points in Gillette, Wyo., cursorily (Dalbey Fishing Lake, McManamen Park, coal mines, golf, etc. Unfortunately, the new book lists the closed Goings restaurant among the city's six eateries, even though the Goings was closed long before the book came out -- and a new one opened long after. And it touts the city pool as a great place for water sports, but completely omits the Campbell County Recreation Center. Perhaps worse, the only accommodations listed for Gillette are a single bed-and-breakfast.

Sierra Adare, who lives part-time in Rawlins, is a capable travel writer, and her "Wyoming Guide" is a good book to pick up if you take family day-trips or like to give guidebooks to help your out-of-state visitors ferret out interesting Wyoming places. It's impossible to keep track of the marketplace in a state where businesses come and go faster than January snowstorms, but there remain many sights and travel resources that are often unlisted. So far, the elusive comprehensive Wyoming guide book hasn't been written.

This is an interesting short book for several reasons. It appears to be a perfect example of how many senior citizens and retired folks are digging up or gathering together lots of local history and preserving it for posterity. In this case, the author relates how he first started hearing some of these stories 50 years ago. Now, half a century later he has taken those stories and interviewed many 60-90 year-old friends and acquaintances and boiled down their oral history into this 121 page historical tome. Combined with interviews and library research the author presents a fascinating, enlightening, humorous and entertaining book of historical facts and local myths about the underbelly of Wyoming's wild nightlife. As the author jokes, this is not a politically correct book and most of it is probably true. Lots of pictures of the most famous "sporting houses" in Wyoming are included in the book. There are also very rare photographs of the "sporting girls" that were taken to be used for advertising their services. The reader may be surprised to learn that this kind of prostitution still openly existed into the late 1970's. The Wild West was still alive and well in Wyoming.
The most famous "Soiled Dove" or "Fallen Angel" in the book is Martha Jane Canary, "Calamity Jane" of Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody fame. She was only one of the many "ladies of the night" discussed within the book. One particularly interesting chapter is entitled "A Day in the Life of a `Working Girl.'" It provides the answer to many people's questions about what it was like to visit one of these places. It also provides interesting insights into what the girls really thought about their customers.
In several instances described, "housewives also went to these places. Not for sex, but to find out why their husbands went there. This took a lot of courage. Some of the questions the girls would answer were; 'Why would he prefer this place rather than our home?' `What do you do for him that I don't?' The working girls were always happy to answer questions like these. Prostitutes never thought themselves to be in competition with housewives. Their only job was to make a man relax and be happy enough to spend his money...Prostitutes seemed to know more about this than some housewives."
A few housewives also worked part-time at brothels, usually in places where no one knew them, like on the other side of town in larger cities. There are also a couple of examples of the "dens of sin" in various communities and settlements being burned to the ground in suspicious fires. Housewives were the suspected arsonists, but none of them were ever charged.
The book is full of trivia facts such as "The FBI was first activated into Federal Service as prostitute busters." Another fact was "that almost every town in Wyoming had Whorehouses." This book is also full of jokes and satire that often ring all too true.
"Badland Charlies" most famous patrons were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and their gang "The Wild Bunch." The book is peppered with such characters with equally colorful names. One of the book's indexes is for 124 euphemisms for prostitutes, their customers, the sexual act and the brothels that the author had not printed in this volume. The author mentioned that he'd used 250 other euphemisms ( who would have thought there were so many) in the book so as not to offend too many readers many of who objected to the term "Whorehouses" or "Whores." Included in the book are many definitions and sources for terms like `Two-bit Ho." This is a very folksy, sometimes corny reportage of local history, but it is certain to provide the readers many chuckles and help them separate fact from myth. The authors humor is typified by a a sign covering the breasts of a nude prostitute's full-length portrait on the back cover of the book. The sign says, "Not Politically Correct."

This book is not a dirty book. It is simply full of facts gathered by a lot of research. It's not a dirty book or anything like that. Basically if you like obscene trivia, this is the book for you! (Especially if you like cheesy jokes... Lol.)

I ordered this book for my 95 year old Grandmother, who was born and grew up in Wyoming. I was hoping that this book would be exactly what it is - full of lots of big photos that she can see with her aging eyes, and very few words. Mostly, the book just has captions on the photos, and very little text other than this. It isn't a book to learn a lot about Wyoming through, it's simply a very nice pictoral coffee table book of Wyoming.

The book is primarily photos of nature...the hills, mountains, rivers and etc...very beautiful, but I would have liked to have seen equal measure given to the historical buildings in Wyoming. There's many small old historical towns with charming one-room chapels and schools still standing - and it would have been nice to include some photos like this (or old post offices, trading posts, gas stations, etc.) in the book. Nonetheless, a nice gift for someone from Wyoming or who just loves the state. Incidentally, I just noticed that there's also a Wild and Beautiful Wyoming II listed on Amazon - so perhaps that book will give more notice to the historical buildings of Wyoming.

I live in Virginia. But I have been to Wyoming on vacation and I believe it is the most beautiful place on earth. Someday I hope to live there. Finally there is a beautiful picturebook of the whole state {not just the National Parks}. It is perfect! I just LOVE it! The day I received it I went through it 4 times from beginning to end {that was yesterday}. After I get off this computer I will go through it again. The photography is incredible. It takes you right to Wyoming and it gives me goosbumps just thinking about it. THANK YOU MR.PFLUGHOFT! I only wished I could get your signature in my book.