Mountain West Books

Baumler is an interpretive historian for the Montana Historical Society, and she brings her professional credentials and storytelling ability to create what has become a very popular book here in Montana. Baumler travels around the state, and people tell her their stories, which she takes further through historical research. The sites covered in "Spirit Tailings" include:

Virginia City: Tollhouse ruins in Meadow Valley; Boot Hill and Hillside Cemeteries; House on Cover Street; Elling House; Bonanza House and Bonanza Inn; Episcopal Church; Lightning Splitter (house); Bennett House Country Inn; Gohn House.

Nevada City (only a few miles from Virginia City): Cabin #5; Nevada City Hotel

Butte: The underground mines; Anaconda Hill; Speculator Mine/Granite Mountain shaft; Quartz Street Fire Station (now Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives); Metals Bank Building; Butte-Silver Bow County Courthouse and Jail; Forsythe house; Maury house; Dumas Hotel/Brothel; East 2nd Street house

Helena: Grassy slope near Public Library (story of John Denn); Robinson Park/Sixth Ward Old Catholic Cemetery; Mamie's Bells (Cathedral; Resurrection Cemetery; Zastrow House; Lenox Addition house; Pioneer Cabin and Reeder's Alley; 10th Avenue rowhouse; Grandstreet Theater; Tatem House; Montana Club and Rathskeller; and even Baumler's own home in Helena has had paranormal happenings!

A great collection of Montana stories, not to be missed!

Spirit Tailings recounts tales of hauntings in three of Montana's mining towns. The author, a historical researcher, has done considerable investigation into the background of the hauntings. Not content with legend, she has sought out present-day witnesses wherever possible, and also recounts her own eerie experiences in some of the buildings. Well-written and at times absolutely chilling!

I am a collector of photographic mountain / wilderness books from around the world and I can safely say that this one takes a special place on the shelf. No huge glacier covered peaks here but a superb collection of photos featuring a rocky and rugged landscape like no other. Well written, interesting text combined with 127 crystal clear, colourful and beautifully printed photos make this book a pleasure to read and admire over and over. I never knew Texas was so wild and beautiful - highly recommended.

I'm a photographer not easily impressed. This book is simply the best rendering of this breathtaking, little known part of Texas that I've seen. The essay is well written and together with the photography makes for a classic.

This book was originally written by my Great-grandfather, Robert Vaughn, who came to this country from Wales. He wrote the book for his daughter, Arvonia Elizabeth Vaughn Sprague. The original book is extremely interesting, as it gives a very graphic view of what life was like in Montana during the latter part of the 1800s. I am intentionally spelling Vaughn this way because it was altered when he was getting a title for some land that he purchased. In Robert Vaughn's original book, the spelling of his name is the same throughout the book. I have not read Walter's reprint of Robert Vaughn's book, but the incorrect spelling of Vaughn's name and the fact that none of the descendents of Robert Vaughn were ever consulted about this book raises concerns about the accuracy of this book. My rating reflects the quality of the original book.

This book was originally written by my great-grandfather Robert Vaughn who came to this country from Wales. He wrote the book for his daughter, Arvonia Elizabeth Vaughn Sprague. The original book is extremely interesting, as it gives a very graphic view of what life was like in Montana during the latter part of the 1800s. I am intentionally spelling Vaughn this way because it was altered when he was getting a title for some land that he purchased. In Robert Vaughn's original book, the spelling of his name is the same throughout the book. I have not read Walter's reprint of Robert Vaughn's book, but the incorrect spelling of Vaughn's name and the fact that none of the descendents of Robert Vaughn were ever consulted about this book raises concerns about the accuracy of this book. My rating reflects the quality of the original book.

We got hooked on Thomas Guide books when we bought our first one in San Diego. Then bought another when we lived near Wa. DC, and another when we moved to Arizona. Once you experience a Thomas Guide book, you can't go back to any other. The fact that it's a spiral bound book makes it SO easy to use and store in the door of your car or under the seat. No flopsy folding to deal with. Large detail makes it easy to read. Index in the back has every street in the city, and additionally, categories such as schools, hospitals, parks, etc... If you're going to live somewhere for any period of time, you will absolutely love the Thomas Guide book and will truly appreciate how easy it makes traveling around town. WELL worth the price.

Once you've used a Thomas Guide, they quickly become like old friends. Their detail is absolutely stunning, and if you can't find a street or location any other way, you can with a Thomas Guide.

Presentation is spiral bound, making it easy for in-the-car use. Street names are listed in the back for easy cross-referencing. The maps themselves are based on a grid system, so that any location can be easily found. A number like "1213 A3" means you flip to map page 1213, and find the corresponding grid for A3. Each grid, if I recall correctly, is approx. a half square mile. (Other maps in the guide give general area overviews)

These Thomas Guides are especially handy for those looking at real estate. Many real estate listings will have a space for "map codes" on the listing sheet itself. With a Thomas Guide, you can find the house with ease even if you're not familiar with the area - - a great way to check out neighborhoods you might have otherwise missed.

Not everyone might need this level of detail, but personally, I love good maps, and wouldn't do with anything less than a Thomas Guide if I was seriously interested in exploring a city. I love to keep my Thomas Guide with me in the car, and a laminated 'flip map' of the same city tucked in the visor of my car. The flip map is handy for quick reference, and my trusty Thomas Guide can lead me the rest of the way.

Vardis Fisher exemplified the spirit of individualism, the rugged West, a largely self-taught education and, most importantly, an almost peculiarly Americanism that has almost vanished. This is a good biography that gives as much (if not more) attention to the literary words as it does the strictly biographical aspects.

Fisher is famous for his Western novels, in particular his rather sympathetic book on the Mormons. He remained an atheist to the end and was convinced after a lifetime of study and reflection that modern society is a consequences of our evolutionary psychology and that forces we consider paramount - love, sex, death, religion, family - have their roots in our pre-human past.
Thus the rise of certain taboos, myths and belief systems.

His epic series, THE TESTAMENT OF MAN, followed our evolutionary climb from cave man to modern creature. And since it challenged some basic tenets of Judeo-Christian beliefs it was attacked and in essence, censored from the public forum. This is not only a good book but an important one.

Tiger On The Road: The Story Of Vardis Fisher is the biography of 1930s American author Vardis Fisher -- an erudite, accomplished, and today largely unknown contributor to great American literature. Once known as the "dean of Western novelists", Fisher is a superb novelist whose works have unfortunately been neglected too much and for too long. Illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs, Tiger On The Road is an excellent look into fascinating life and literature. The author of thirty six published works, it can confidently be expected that this outstanding biography of a Rocky Mountain regional author will inspire a resurgence of interest in his timeless, extraordinary, iconoclastic work. His life was as vivid and as dramatic as the plots of his novels. Tiger On The Road is a superbly presented literary biography.

If you read nothing else about Native America, read this book - it is beautiful, truthful and the photography of buffalo, wolves etc. within it are just stunning. A modern day 'Touch The Earth' . Best Native title I ever read, and I hear he has a new one coming called 'Of Earth and Elders'.

If you read nothing else about Native America, read this book - it is beautiful, truthful and the photography of buffalo, wolves etc. within it are just stunning. A modern day 'Touch The Earth' . Best Native title I ever read, and I hear he has a new one coming called 'Of Earth and Elders'.

Last summer while using this book as our guide, we trailered from MN 3 babies (horses), two dogs, and one teenager. We had the vacation of a lifetime. We rode for two weeks, 6-8 different trails at 5 different locations. Very accurate descriptions for trail difficulty, trailheads and what you will see.

We even met a couple that had contributed a couple rides to help create the book - they autographed our copy 8-)).

We are returning this year with Ray, our mule, to pack in to the Chinese Wall. That is the only thing they don't tell you in this book. You ride to the very edge and have to turn around a go back to camp. Quite the tease for folks who want to get away from everything.

Congratulations Ms. Barnett & MT Horsemen for working together and putting such a great resource in our hands. Now if we could only get a similar book for CO, ID, UT . . .

Anyone living in Montana and owning a horse should have a copy of this wonderful trail guide. It is explicit in describing the trails.. how to get there... what time of year to go...what to take...what regulations apply....everything!!

If you live locally in the Flathead Valley in Montana you can find this book at North Valley Ag Center and Westrends. If you have a copy that is unsigned, you can call Carellen at 406-892-5877 and she will sign it for you. And help you plan you horseback trip.

I enjoy historical narratives about turn of the century logging in West Virginia. Many texts cover the economic aspects of logging in terms of the timber processed. Other books detail the milling process or the lifestyle of the lumberjack in the WV wilderness. However, this is the first book I have encountered that describes the social ramifications of the logging industry in defining the WV culture. Ronald Lewis has opened up new discussions of how early steam technology impacted the remote lifestyles of West Virginia. This book gives a fresh viewpoint that is needed in re-evaluating the romanticized description of Appalachian lumbering in the last century.

The subtitle to this book is "Railroads, Deforestation, and Social Change in West Virginia 1880 - 1920." The principle reason for the deeply-embedded poverty in Central Appalachia is the fact that the region continues to be a colony of industrial powers. Beginning in the mid-19th century, iron, coal, railroad, and timber companies teamed with national, state, and local politicians to exploit the natural resources -- coal and timber -- and the people of Central Appalachia. The result was devastation of a culture, destruction of a people, and destruction of the environment. And, I am incorrect to use the past tense -- clear-cutting of forests continues and "mountain-top removal" mining continue to destroy the culture, communities, and landscape of Central Appalachia. Lewis' book is an excellent description of what happens when politicians and industrial leaders join in league to exploit a region.

Note that this book deals with events of 1880 - 1920 -- so why is it important today? Because what was done to Central Appalachia in that period is being done to the rest of us today under the guise of "economic globalization." For example, the people of McDowell County, WV, are powerless in the face of Norfolk Southern (railroad company) because NS owns 85 percent of the land in the county. Just exactly what do you think will happen when "global" corporations own the factories, the minerals, and the workers? The experience of Appalachia with industrial and political exploitation is the same experience that awaits all of us under "economic globalization."

Great book for anyone wanting to travel to Arizona or to give as a gift. Beautiful photos thru out the book. Great photography. I believe anyone will enjoy this book.

We are using this book to plan a family trip through Arizona to celebrate milestone birthdays. Although we have visited the state many times, the photographs of the scenic beauty are second only to an up close and personal experience. From the Grand Canyon's natural beauty to the winds blowing through Tuzigoot to the exhibits of the Heard Museum to the history of Tombstone to the mines of Bisbee, this book covers sites that are of interest to every age group. It is easily a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon state.

The Travelers' Tales series is a set of anthologies of short pieces, typically 5-20 pages each, assembled around a particular theme. Many of the volumes are dedicated to a particular travel destination (e.g., the Southwest, Thailand, Italy), while some are thematically organized (Food, Spiritual Gifts of Travel, Women on the Road, etc).

The collections run from the passable to the magnificent: reading them reminds of how terrific writing becomes when inspired by an exotic, memorable place. The best of these volumes bring back the flavors, the smells, and the breezes of distant places with an immediacy that your vacation photo album can't by itself match.

This southwest volume is probably one of the better ones in the series, owing largely to the fantastic quality of the region. I consider myself a fairly experienced world traveler, and for my money the unspoiled beauty of the landscape in this part of America is unsurpassed anywhere in the world. (I haven't yet seen New Zealand, the Alaskan wild, or the Himalayas, so I'm still reserving an absolute final judgment.)

I am a lover of desert landscapes, but I've come to understand that I don't love all deserts equally: I've seen deserts ranging from the Gobi to the Sahara, but have found nothing quite like the American southwest, with its canyons, its hoodoos, its towering red rock formations like so many giant goblins, its endless views, its rock labyrinths, its lizards, the peaceful shade of its cliffs, its scents of juniper, sage and pinion. The introduction to this book compares a journey into the desert southwest to a breath of fresh air in the soul, and that certainly fits.

With such inspiring material, a collection of pieces by skilled writers could hardly miss, and this one delivers. The best piece in here is probably the excerpt "Water" from "Desert Solitaire," by the incomparable and curmudgeonly Edward Abbey. This piece is, however, closely rivaled by the also-magnificent "Bridge Over the Wind," a tribute to Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, vividly capturing not only the gorgeous improbability of that particular arch, but also the feel of a hike through Devil's Garden to reach it.

Other fine pieces in the collection explore the hidden treasures of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the fascinations of Navajo country, and activities ranging from flying solo over Monument Valley, to hunting for obscure pictographs.

It's not a flawless collection: there are a few too many New Age-y pieces for my taste. The southwest seems to draw a fair number of spiritualist pilgrims, so for every Edward Abbey withdrawing to the wilderness to see himself and the society around him more starkly, there are plenty of folks who luxuriate in reducing Native American culture to a collection of comforting but absurd talismans and superstitions. A reader with a perfectly healthy respect and appreciation for Native American cultures might well come away, as I did, annoyed at some of the insipid romanticization of their folkways.

But, in a sense, it is what it is; this phenomenon is definitely part of the southwestern cultural landscape, and it's therefore appropriate that it be reflected in this book.

The collection is a pleasant read throughout, and will inspire both real and armchair travelers to direct their attention to this most beautiful of American places.

This is just a fabulous book. It will bring the Southwest to life for all discerning readers.