The Nevada Desert

By Sessions, S Wheeler

As late as the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century, it was still a land of mystery-uncharted, unexplored. With the exception of the Arctic, it was a part of the only large area of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087004205X
• ISBN13: 9780870042058
• Release Date: August 1971
• Publisher: Caxton Press
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

first hand accounts of life in the old west

"The Nevada Desert" is another quality read by Sessions S. Wheeler. If you're familiar with Wheeler's other work like "the Desert Lake," you already know that the author likes to inject original sources. After doing a lifetime of research and analysis on the desert experience, the idea behind this title is to publish a book of the most interesting primary documents. Chapter topics include the Forty-Mile Desert, the Black Rock, the Mojave, Gold Mining and Ranching. The initial chapter offers a brief history and overview of the State. The next chapter looks at the Forty-Mile Desert, a difficult wagon road for early emigrants. The actual stretch is east of Reno in the north-western part of Nevada. As one of the most compelling narratives in the book, Sarah Royce retells the chronology of her family's Forty-Mile hardship. The next chapter is a look at the Black Rock. Much of the section looks at the fighting with Native Americans. In terms of brutality and bloodshed, Wheeler believes that the great scale of these conflicts has not been fully appreciated. The Mojave chapter recounts the adventures of John C. Frémont. 'Memories of the Desert's Gold Seekers' offers entertaining stories of desert folk. Claude Laund's story about death and belated justice is a highlight. The ranching chapter focuses on John G. Taylor, a cattle baron. "The Nevada Desert" is generally successful as a Sessions Wheeler book with more primary sources and less interpretation. The Indian Wars section wanders and the John G. section offers too many, similar accounts of the same man. So while the dynamic usually works well, there are cases when Wheeler should have been more assertive as an editor. At the end of the day, I'm not sure that I wouldn't have just preferred to read a conventional book by Sessions Wheeler. Combining quality research, artistry as a writer and passion for his subject, Wheeler inspires faith that when he writes about a topic, it will contain the essential information. The book has something many similarly minded titles lack -a good map with details that connect the reader with the geography. The inclusion of copious black and white photographs help to tell the story of those who lived so long ago. All in all, "the Nevada Desert" offers first hand accounts of what the Silver State was like back in the olden days.