University of Montana Books

This is a highly readable and well-researched account of what must be one of the most fascinating towns in the United States. As anyone who has visited Butte can attest, the town possesses a cultural richness and idiosyncratic character unmatched anywhere in the US west, maybe the whole country, and Malone's book captures this nicely. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of political machinations in Montana around the turn of the century, which make today's politics look anemic by comparison. If you have any interest at all in Montana/western history, political economy, mining or politics, I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

Butte, Montana, has a rich history with stories that just seem too preposterous to be true! ("Copper Camp" written in 1930's is good example).

Michael Malone, a historian at Montana State in Bozeman, must have felt the same way. He did some good, scholarly research, and found out that many of the wild tales WERE true!

The book is VERY readable, almost like a novel, filled with some wild stories about how the three "Copper Kings" (Butte's version of "Robber Barons") worked, wheeled, dealed, cheated, competed and conspired to make as much money as they could from "the richest hill on earth."

In the mix are many stories about the everyday Butte residents, who, to this day, are actually friendly, big-hearted people...who put their hearts and backs into the building of the town.

Butte, Montana truly is "as ugly as sin" (quickly verified by any who has been there), "and just as fascinating."

Though I am not finished yet I have to say that it is a very informative book on the indian way of life. If thats what you buy this book for then you wont be disappointed. By the title you would think it was all about the Little Big Horn battle and though I'm sure it will come to that, so far (one third though the book)it has only mentioned life of the plains indians and how they built their tee pees, how they war'd against each other and also fought together. As I said I haven't finished yet but I like what I've read so far.

About five months ago I became a father to a beautiful and wonderful little boy. Every time I look at him and hold him I think of him as a gift. I don't mean that in a religious way, because that is not my belief. I am currently reading Wooden Leg for the second time in about 10 years. In reading this book, I realized that it too is a gift. Thomas Marquis, Wooden Leg and his Cheyenne compatriots who gave of their time and memories accomplished a tremendous service to the literature and history of a time that we will never see again. It was a beautiful life, though, to be sure, it had its share of horrors. In this book you will learn about nineteenth century Cheyenne culture and religion. You will read and be enthralled at Wooden Leg's recounting of Custer's Last Stand. Marquis, who acted as his own interpreter through sign language, did a wonderful job at arranging and organizing all of the stories related to him to make it into a cohesive read. I am very surprised that I am the first to review this book. Other "gift" books include Plenty Coups, Two Leggings and Memoirs of a White Crow Indian (the story of Thomas Leforge). I could go on, but this is a wonderful start. Enjoy these gifts and share them with someone special.

kittredge's collection evades perfection only through inclusion of a number of less than outstanding tales and essays. these are pretty much identifiable by their first or second paragraphs though; it takes no great effort to just page forward to the next outstanding offering. the dream of montana is well woven here. the reality of montana, remarkably enough, is even better than the dream. my only real reservation about this book is that it is apt to draw a crowd: i would wish montana to remain as it is.

The Last Best Place is an anthology with incredible breadth and scope. It was put together over a three year period by a group of dedicated editors and researchers headed up by Annick Smith and William Kittredge. The goal was to identify and preserve Montanna's rich literary heritage ranging from the earliest Native American inhabitants and explorers to contemporary authors such as Rick Newby and Bill Hoagland.

The size of the anthology is proof that it was a daunting if rewarding task. Over 1,000 pages long, it cannot be considered "light" reading, and yet the writing shines. There are sections from Lewis and Clark, Osborne Russell and James Audubon, (all early visitors to Montana), side by side with Native American stories and myths by the like of Jerome Fourstar, James White Calf and Pete Beaverhead( don't miss "Chickadees" as told to Frank Linderman by Pretty-shield, Medicine Woman). Here too you will find cowboys, settlers and wild west characters such as Mary MacLane who declared from a very early age, "I want Fame...Let me but make a beginning, let me but strike the world in a vulnerable spot, and I can take it by storm." There are essays, legends, journals, tall tales and poetry; tales of stunning beauty, adventure, disaster, brutality and vision. This is a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone who understands the importance of place and is fascinated by the literature that has evolved out of it.

This is a fascinating look at changing manners and mores in a major industrial community during the two decades between the two World Wars. The city which Murphy dissects, Butte (Mt.), adds its own quirky character to this study. But you don't need to know much about Butte or mining to enjoy Murphy's engaging style, entertaining anecdotes, and keen insights about a turbulent period of social and economic change in urban America.

Probably no book can do full justice to Butte, Montana which, for 50 years up to the start of World War II, was the most interesting city in America. While Butte was a wide open, boisterous mining town with illegal gambling and prostitution operating openly and unabashedly, it had vast flocks of fervent church goers and it managed to nourish its small pockets of refined culture and art. Butte had its millionaires, its poor, its highly diversified foreign cultures yet proudly asserting it Grand Americanism.

With all of that, Butte was ugly, seared grey by acid fumes from smelters; it perched on a hillside spiked by mines gallows and blemished by countless yellowish mounds of ore tailings as if the earth had spilled out its guts like vomit.

Mary Murphy's book, Mining Cultures; Men, Women and Leisure in Butte, 1914-41 does an admirable job of touring around the edges of what was Butte during those years. She got at only the edges for those are the limits she set for herself. Well researched and documented, she was careful not to report her numbers in boring, mind-numbing detail and she served them up garnished by an assortment of interesting and revealing anecdotes.

Ms. Murphy's book is a valuable addition to a pitifully small collection of works on a city which deserves greater study.

Mr. Stiller has completed a formidable task in combining the corporate, regulatory, and environmental viewpoints of Montana's mining history. This book provides a solid technical understanding of hard-rock mining (and its environmental aftermath) in Western Montana, yet it covers the historical development, operation, and degradation of the area in human terms as well. If you like the style of John McPhee, you'll appreciate this read. Just about anyone with a general interest in Western U.S. history, economic geology, or environmental policy as it applies to federal mining law, state regulation, or environmental remediation should appreciate Stiller's prose. I imagine that many similar texts could be written about numerous localities in Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, etc. But, as a geologist myself, I also hope that this book will bring home some of the reality of mining's impacts in a country that so voraciously demands (and wastes) the finite resources of our earth.

Author Dave Stiller's book about hard-rock mining in Montana is a story full of the history of men's migration to the west to find their fortune in the elusive mountains and hills of mineral ores. At the same time it is well tempered to lead us through the often colorful federal and state political scene that played such an important part in mining development. It is also about mining's true risks, rewards, frustrations, and as well about good old-fashioned work ethic. It is one fine read.

Stiller's description is clear, easy to understand and most educational for the uninitiated in mining terminology. Those looking for a human story will not be disappointed. His character analysis of George and "Rosie" Kornec penetrates deeply into our desires and emotions to see them gain an upper hand in their struggle. Stiller's delivery stays fair and impartial as he explores the drives and motivations of the environmentalists versus the major mining corporations. His style touches on that of John McPhee with a little Colin Fletcher thrown in from time to time. In the end, after all the ups and downs at the Mike Horse Mine, after the clean-up appears to be in order, the reader realizes just how well Stiller has brought us through this complex subject and how well he stayed focused. Certainly we leave this book with our own hope that considerably more attention will be paid on a continuous basis to the other 500,000 neglected mines in the west needing similar action.

As an avid non-fiction reader, I come across many books written in a typical journalistic style. I also come across many clunky, personal exposes that never culminate in any larger message about humanity. Tom Groenberg not only avoids these styles, but approaches his adventure with the most beautiful, clear, prose I have read in ages. The topic matter has so much potential to be a cliche, but he deftly avoids falling this trap. I savored this book like a good meal, and I dare anyone with emotional depth to find not find something in it that rings deeply true to the modern human experience. Thanks, Tom. You inspire me to write more.

I feel that this book was quite refreshing.I really enjoyed the book in the end, but at first I thought it read somewhat slow. I was very suprised at the way Groneberg pulled me in by displaying such a well written description of his life. Mr. Groneberg is a strong writer who keeps my attention, displays good organization/structure, however he could do a better job of giving definitions on certain "cowboy" terms that those from the city may not know or understand. Mr. Groneberg establishes his credibilty in this book by explaining that he has lived and worked on cattle ranches. He does a good job of giving descriptive details, personal experiences and observations, and examples and illustrations. Mr. Groneberg's book is recent and more applicable to this generation of "wannabe" cowboys. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the cowboy way of life.

As you may have gathered from the other reviews, this book may not be what you are expecting. But in the end, you may well find its something more.

It is not so much that its romantic, poetic, or any of the other 'literary' virtues you may associate with the American West.

It is something bigger, something better: its true. Not merely in an autobiographical sense, but in a universal, human way that will touch you deeply if you let it.

Truth is its skin and skeleton, and the sinews that hold it together. If that isn't enough for you, if you can't see the poetry and romance in the triumphs and tradgedies of life on the land told with utter honesty, then your mind is too small for this book.

And much too small for Montana: I've lived and worked on ranches here for 25 years, and we seriously don't need more people looking for sequined cowboys or photo ops with 'old salts'...

But there will always be room for Tom Groneberg, and people like him.

Can a city guy go from college to wrangler, ranch hand and ranch owner? Can he live through the Montana winters? Will he give it up and take up accounting in his home town? The author is brutally honest as he answers these questions. The angst is hard on the reader, but you want to follow him through his tough decisions. Many of the characterizations are memorable. I look forward to reading the next installment and seeing where this continuing experiment in ranch life takes him.

Once you get started reading, this book appears to be the real thing. Although it may be a true life experience, it becomes very hard to keep your attention and rambles on concerning some big dreams financed by his father's forture, only to become a total failure. To top the story, he must to turn to medication to keep his senses and continue to " dream " about being a cowboy. After reading this, I wonder what would have been the true outcome if he didn't have parents to finance his way, and stay away from the mood-altering drugs. Don't waste your money on this one, that is, unless, daddy is paying for it

This is a very interesting and engrossing analysis of the skeletal remains from the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The authors have handled their material well, except for the repetitiveness. It's as if each wrote something for the book and everything was then used somewhere in it instead of being edited to produce a comprehensive whole book. The section on comparison of the skeletal remains from the Battle with skeletons from other contexts from the Old West was a bit of a drag and perhaps overanalyzed. I didn't see how it was terribly relevant to the who or the what of the Battle bones. But the authors are good writers and this was worth the read. I would have liked to know more about the Native casualties, but this receives short shrift in a couple of paragraphs. Also there was no discussion about the remains of G. A. Custer and the other officers or how their bodies was identified.

Among all of the books I have on the archeaology of the Little Bighorn, my library would not be complete with out this one concerning the findings from those digs.

It is well written. It is very technical and not the kind of book a causual reader would enjoy. It is , however, the kind of book a very serious student of the subject will enjoy. Although I was not present for any of the digs as a volunteer, I have kept up with them by purchasing many other books related. I have visted the battlefield several times of the years and even met a few of the poeple mentioned in the book. This all of course, makes it of special interest to me. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone with a very serious interest in the anthropology concerning the members of the 7th U.S. Cavalry who participated in the battle in 1876. There are some very important comparisons with other remains that were studied from several other areas of the Western expansion to arrive at a picture of what these men were really like. As the book concludes, this was not a period that was quite so romantic as many people have imagined. It was a very tough life in a harsh environment. For the advanced "Custer Buff" or historian, this is a must have book.

Very interesting book. Learned a lot. Some information was repeated (word for word) in different sections of the book. Seemed like it was added just to stretch the size of the book, or at least someone wasn't paying attention. What was new was interesting, what was repeated was boring. I would recommend this book, it is definitely worth reading.

Who knew that old bones could give us as such quantities of information?
This book is a captivating and absorbing account of many of the cavelrymen who rode against the Sioux at Little Bighorn.
I enjoyed the little snippets of their lives that were discovered by comparing historical documents with the anthopological evidence found on site. A good addition to my library.

A very good book and recommended. It does however fall short with its look at Lt. Henry Harrington, commander of Company C during the battle. The forensic reconstruction figure on page 172 is Lt. Harrington, one of the long missing officers whose remains were not found after the battle. The authors are not alone in missing the resemblance to the 1872 West Point graduate whose remains have lain in the Smithsonian Institution for more than a century.

This oversight by historians and anthropologists alike is corrected in the book "Custer's Lost Officer the Search for Lieutenant Henry Moore Harrington, 7th U.S. Cavalry by Walt Cross. I recommend that if you purchase this book you also purchase the Cross book ISBN: 0-9771926-1-X. In "Custer's Lost Officer" Harrington is identified as the soldier the Sioux called "The bravest man the Sioux ever fought."

When I bought this book I was looking for serious military/historical chronology of what happened at the Little Big Horn that hot Sunday of July in 1876. This book spends exactly 12 pages explaining the battle. The rest of the book is broken into sections describing how the event affected the American Psyche. Paintings of The Last Stand, poerty describing The Last Stand, novels, movies and jokes related to The Last Stand are all examined in depth here. There is a 12 page section of photos and illustrations. The defeat of an American army in the field by Indians on the 100th birthday of The United States sent shock waves through the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition where the visiting people were studying the wonders of modern technology, convinced that nothing could stop the progress of science and thus this country's western expansion. The different views of Custer and indeed our very government can be seen by how differently the event has been portrayed by various forms of the media. As an example of this think of any movies you may have seen about the battle, the older ones are very sympathtic towards the 7th Calvalry, showing the Indians as blood thirsty savages while the newer crop of films has reversed the roles of who was the blood thirsty savage. If you are looking for a hard core military examination of the battle pass on the book, if you are interested in an unusual study of the American response to an event no one ever expected, one which continues to fascinate us to this day, this book is for you.

I read this book over the summer, and enjoyed it thoroughly. I may be biased (I have had classes under Dr. Dippie) but I found the book to be well thought out and a very fascinating look at a branch of American history that a lot of people forget about when they get concerned with who did what when. This book deals with the development of the American mythology, and is a delight to read. I highly recommend it.

This book is rather dry and lifeless. It feels like Dippie wrote it for other college professors and not for the ordinary Joe with an interest in Custer. Perhaps it's best to read in small doses. Also, it was first published in 1976, and so much has been added to Custeriana since then that this book should be rewritten and updated.

Agnes Deernose tells in the first person the story of her life and the culture of the Crow Indians on their reservation in Montana. It begins in the days of buffalo-hunting, and reveals how the Crow accepted the inevitable changes brought by the 20th Century.

The book describes family life, social life, education, religion, and how the Crow supported the Baptist Church. Agnes gives some interesting intimate details of her life.

Fred was an anthropologist and an adopted Crow. He became well acquainted with the Crow Indians, and this story is the result of extensive personal interviews with Agnes.

(Review written by Julia Holmes, the author's cousin. It was edited and posted to Amazon.com by Julie Atkins, her daughter.)

"They Call Me Agnes" is a very personal recount of the life of Agnes Yellowtail Deernose, a Crow woman growing up in the first few generations of reservation Indians. The book is centered around the accounts of Agnes, although the author took some liberties in inserting historical information from field research. Because the book is not about the tribe as a whole, it is not ideal for learning about the Crow as a whole, but is a wonderful resouce for gaining insight on the impact that the enstatement of reservations had on Indian life and the struggles that were faced. The book deals with changing lifestyles and struggles montetarily, religiously and racially. Be aware that because the editor was from anthropolical background, there may be some misinterpretations of things due to the scientific way of looking at things. Other good books to read if you are interested in the interview format dealing with Crow Indians are "Two Leggings" (Peter Nabokov), "Pretty Shield" and "Plenty Coups" (both Frank Bird Linderman). Other books about the Crow written by native writers: "APPSALOOKE Yesturday and Today" (Smith and Old Coyote)

A different style of short stories. A book you would want to read again