Mountain West Books

The book was reasonably priced. It was shipped promptly and arrived undamaged. Both the text and pictures were very informative. I am planning a sightseeing trip to Colorado and doing research to determine which places I want to visit. I will definitely visit Mesa Verde National Park and the book will be extremely valuable in helping me decide which dwellings at the park I want to visit.

My husband loves to gamble so he obviously loves the chapters of this book that reference the casinos and the actual games played within casinos. I, on the other hand, enjoy the other face of Las Vegas which includes the shows, shopping, restaurants and good deals. This book was such a helpful purchase for both of us.

Recently we went to Moab and I was lucky enough to purchase this book. It was very helpful to find are way around town. And recommendations for meals and places to eat where right on. Highly useful guide book.

I felt the guide was well researched and well planned out. The book makes it easy to find what you are looking for and gives just enough information for each item that you look up. If you are going to be traveling in the SouthWest, this is the guide for you.

This was an excellent depiction of Moffet Field. I purchased this book for my husband who was stationed at Moffet Field in 1956-57. It had so many memories for him in it, and he really treasures this book. I would recommend it for anyone who knows the history of that area or was stationed at Moffet Field at some point in time. WellDone.

This is a well writtern compilation of historical tales. Highly informative to me as a visitor to this great state.

This is a great 'slice of the life' kind of book. You get a real sense of the diversity in that state-yesterday and today. The photos are wonderful. This is not a travel guide or a history book, but instead a bit of both.

This is a fine collection of 86 black-and-white photographs taken by photographer Joanne Berghold at small town rodeos around Montana in the 1990s and early 2000s. Unlike the commercialized rodeo to be seen in today's PRCA circuit, these local rodeos capture the spirit of the sport as it emerged in the early 20th century -- a family-oriented affair that brought the whole rural community together for a once-a-year celebration. Look at these pictures, and what you often see instead of covered bleachers and flashy corporate sponsor billboards is a wire arena fence with trucks and cars pulled up to it and open prairie or hills beyond. The parking lot is grass-covered, and horse trailers are parked under the trees.

The opening images set the tone of the book -- gravel roads with grass and weeds right to the edges, leading to a low horizon, where clouds drift in a big sky, a veil of rain falling into a distant mountain ridge. Then in the photographs that follow there's the contrasting activity of small town life, strung out along a treeless main street, and the gathering of people at the rodeo grounds.

A cowboy in black hat, wranglers and spurs checks out the draw for the events posted on the side of a trailer, a young girl practices roping a hay bale, hats are placed over hearts in the grandstands and in the crow's nest for the Pledge of Allegiance, horses in the dusty light move into a holding pen, a cowboy bows his head in prayer on the top rail of a chute over a saddled bronc, riders one after another take spills off bucking rough stock. The arena itself may be dusty dirt or waterlogged mud. A roper waits, eyes set in concentration, a piggin string clamped in his mouth under a full mustache; a young bulldogger skids boots first in the dirt, his arms locked around the horns of a calf. There are team ropers, barrel racers, young bull riders taping up, and bullfighters in clown makeup. In the end, buckles are awarded to the winners, cowboys head out with war bags over their shoulders, and horses move up loading chutes into a trailer.

The book is a tribute to a western tradition and way of life, still close to its roots in the workaday world of ranchers and cowboys. It includes an essay by Kim Zupan, a gifted writer and former rough-stock rider. All photos were taken in Montana in rural small towns like Boulder, Belt, Wilsall, and Roundup.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Montana historians Harry W. Friz, Mary Murphy, and Robert R. Swartout Jr. Montana Legacy: Essays On History, People, And Place is an impressive and informative anthology of sixteen essays discussing the various facets of Montana history ranging from birth control and prenatal care in rural Montana, to Montana's Clark-Daly Feud, to the Montana State Prison Riot of 1959. Black-and-white photographs and maps enhance this scholarly assessment of different aspects of the Montana's cultural and political evolution from the 1800's down to the twenty-first century. Montana Legacy is very highly recommended for American History reference collections, and especially Montana State History supplemental reading lists.

A great preview of "The Bob". Very good, concise information in a very readable format. I especially liked the sections on wildlife and history. Makes you want to go to Montana tomorrow and see the country, even if it is January and you hate snow. I can hardly wait for the summer and a visit to the wild country of "The Bob".