Indian Territory

by Matt Braun

Book Overview

The railroad's drive to close the great distances of the wild American West was treacherous. One man was hired to troubleshoot--and, along the way, he grew to admire the Indian way of life....and a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312970935
• ISBN13: 9780312970932
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating Historical Fiction

The frontier is more recent in my home state of Oklahoma and Matt Braun portrays it realistically. He shows the Cherokee to be as complex as they are diverse. Braun also presents a poignant picture of their struggle to maintain sovereignty in the land promised them so long as "the waters run." There are vivid, three dimensional characters here: fictional as well as historical. The latter include General Sherman, Elias Boudinot, William Ross and Stand Watie. The love story between the protagonist and the lovely Cherokee woman, Elizabeth Ross, has enough conflict to make it believable. And the odds and ends of historical trivia are interesting. I had not known, for example, that Vinita, Oklahoma was named for a white sculptress in Washington, the mistress of Elias Boudinot. Nor had I heard the fascinating story of the old Chickasaw, Ben Colbert--even though I once played near the railroad bridge that rendered his famous ferry obsolete. This is a good read for anyone; for the Western history aficionado, it is indispensable. My only complaint is the graphic nature of Braun's many gun battles. The blood splattered excrement is, perhaps a little too vivid for my taste.