Wyoming Books

The keys to any successful (self-guided) fishing trip are research and common sense. Kip's book has lots of small snippets on locations of lakes and streams...and some information on types of fish, sizes of fish, and overall rating of the fishery. This book is best used with the Wyoming DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer, which shows specific streams, lakes, highways, roads (and camgrounds). Overall, I really enjoyed the book and can not wait until this summer to check out some of his recommended locations.

One (minor) drawback of the book is his lack of labeling the photos...I like to know which picture goes with which stream or lake. Another (minor) drawback is his use of terms "fair" ... "decent" ... "good" ... "noteable" ... and "very fishable" when describing fishing quality. This is where your 6th sense of fishing comes in to play. Is the author tipping his hand?...or just wetting our whistle?

Other good books on Wyoming Fly Fishing include: Wyoming Blue-Ribbon Fly Fishing Guide, by Greg Thomas...The most complete guide to Wyoming fishing by John Baughman...and the Flyfishers Guide to Wyoming by by Ken Retallic. Each of these books compliments the other (and sometimes contradicts).

Whenever planning a trip DO RESEARCH. Research comes in several forms, the most effective being advice from a trusted friend (who's been there), conversation with fly shop owners and guides from the area you will be (they will usually only provide snippets), and lots of reading. Since becoming a "serious researcher" my trips to the Rockies have been VERY productive and more memorable.

This is certainly the best book I have read from Douglas Coupland and one of the best books by a contemporary writer. The characters are very entertaining. They each have their peculiarities and flaws, which makes them so lifelike. The story itself might be a little farfetched, but aren't we all looking for that in books? With other books I read from mr. Coupland, I always had difficulty with the lack of action, but this book is so action-packed that I simply could not put it down. This is modern literature and not just for our fast and furious MTV-influenced youth. It's about a pair of weird people who act just like you and I would in a similair situation as theirs.
Just enjoy it, I did!!!

The 1860's were turbulent years throughout the west and the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming were no exception. Francis Carrington's reminisces of these times are essential to understanding not only army life on the frontier, but also the true facts of the horrid Fetterman Massacre of 1866.
Venturing west as a young bride to Lt. George Grummond, she describes in detail the landscapes, people and day to day existence of trail life while on their way to establish Ft. Phil Kearney on the eastern flank of the Big Horn Mountains. The fort's purpose was to protect emigrants traveling to the gold fields of Montana.
With the land initially promised to the Sioux in treaty, the government's newer policies of allowing a road and forts to be built through this region fueled acts of violence from the Sioux.
Frances' husband Lt. Grummond, along with Lt. Colonel William Fetterman and a total of eighty-one men were led into ambush by the Sioux in December 1866 and all killed. The post commander, Colonel Henry Carrington, gave explicit orders which were disobeyed resulting in the slaughter of these men.
An informative and expressive read which also upholds Colonel Carrington's command.

This is a map that you can hang on the wall and oogle! (Well, one side at a time!) One side shows WA, OR, ID, MT, WY and features the great mountains, parks and forests of the region; they are in color on an otherwise white background. Surrounding areas are muted. The other side is titled: Parklands and the Pioneer Northwest, full of text and illustration, with a few smaller detailed maps (Puget Sound, Glacier, Yellowstone). The text is the briefest intro to the natural areas, in which local points of interest are indicated. Each state has its tourist office address and phone number listed. The map is oriented to the green side of your soul, rather than the urban side. Major and secondary arterials and cities, of course, are noted. There is not great detail, but then, this map does cover six states, not just one. Still, it is most useful for those looking to do the parks and outdoors. Note that the map, when folded, is about 6"x8", slightly different from your basic gas station map. A big plus is that the map is plasticized, so that it is very sturdy and can be rained on with impunity. A map that you will want to keep and show off to friends.

There are a lot of resources out there for travelers who enjoy staying at bed and breakfasts and inns. A quick look at most guides that cover the Rocky Mountains reveals a near endless list. This book is particularly helpful in its selection. You won't find every inn in this book, but every inn you find is worth the trip. Hopefully The Globe Pequot Press will be coming out with the eighth edition soon--after ten years a lot of these places have either closed or changed hands.

This book provides the reader with an overview of some well known as well as some lesser known names in the world of early exploration. Names such as Amundsen, Doughty, Stanley, Wills, Kingsley, Jedediah Smith, Humboldt, Cook, Pizarro and Columbus are introduced to the reader as though for the first time.

Each mini biography is afforded some 25-30 pages of immensely readable and interesting text. About halfway through each chapter, however, we suddenly find a selection of colour photographs from a BBC television film of the life of the explorer in question and only now do we realise this book is based on a BBC series called Explorers.

Costume drama from a bygone age is what the BBC does best and one can be certain the series was thoroughly and accurately researched. The book, however, offers nothing more than an insight into the lives and achievements of nine great men and one outstanding woman.

NM

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.

A great peice of local history! SHOT DOWN describes in some great detail some of Casper Wyoming's first murders. A great book for historians, Genealogists, or anyone interested in Wyoming or the west

I'd encountered Ken Rand's work first in TALES OF THE LUCKY NICKLE and enjoyed it enough to be looking forward to this collection of short stories. Again, Rand entertains. "The Bridge to Nowhere" is probably the best and strongest story in the collection. One day a rancher wakes up and discoverers that a bridge has appeared on his land, a bridge leading nowhere, because there's a barrier that makes whatever crosses it disappear. Rand does a fine job of handling, on many levels, the ramifications of the story.

I also enjoyed the story of the aging gunfighter who is being displaced by technology, as a tin man is made sheriff. It's another great piece of work.

All the stories were a pleasure to read, and one can see Rand returning to themes he's used before with another fresh look.

In the 1990s, many people were horrified by TV pictures of hunters and Montana state officials shooting bison as they wandered out of Yellowstone National Park. Acting on behalf of its ranching industry, which fears that bison - - but, interestingly, not elk - - will transmit brucellosis to their cattle. Over a thousand bison have been killed this way in the last decade or so.

If you want to know how we ended up in this position, this is the book for you. Franke provides a history of Yellowstone's bison, park management of those bison, and the policies of other federal and state agencies that have led to the annual bison slaughter. She covers the topic well, and takes a critical stance toward all the players involved.

Though Franke makes her own views clear, there is enough information her for you to disagree with her - - the mark of a good book, to my mind.