The Way West: True Stories of the American Frontier

Book Overview

The history of America is, at its core, the story of the American West. In this new volume from the Western Writers of America, readers are taken deep into the true stories that helped America form its identity, and the people that embodied its essence.
James A. Crutchfield, a long-time WWA Secretary-Treasurer and seasoned historian, has assembled a remarkable cadre of contributors in The Way West. Included are winners of the Owen Wister Award, given for lifetime achievement in literature on the West:

* David Dary explores the network of trails that lead explorers West
* Bill Gulick recalls the Steamboat days of the Pacific Northwest
* Leon Claire Metz goes deep into John Wesley Hardin's world
* Robert M. Utley shows us the true faces of the Texas Rangers
* Dale L. Walker takes us on a tour of the final resting places of forty of the West's most celebrated figures.

The Way West covers many of the now obscure individuals and long-lost tales of our storied past and gives new insights into famous characters and events of this legendary era. So join the Western Writers of America on a journey back in time and lose yourself in the colorful history of the American West.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076530452X
• ISBN13: 9780765304520
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

The Way West

This is a compilation of stories of the West by various writers. Most of these stories are somewhat familiar to all of us but here you are given the true story behind the legends. Easily read and tough to put down once you have started.

" No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow whose in the right and keeps on a-comin'"-Captai

This is an excellent collection of essays about the American Frontier and the stories and people who were part of it all.It includes 28 essays written by 28 different Western Writers of America ,who are experts in their fields and who attempt to set the record straight on the events and people we read so much about in history,fiction and other forms of Western writing. It takes a lot of astute research to sort the truth out of the legends,folk tales,myths,exaggerations,magnified,preposterous,sensational,melodramatic,farfetched,false,distorted,fabricated and even whopping lies that have come down to us ;telling about what went on in the development of the west;and these are the best writers around today,to get it right. Each essay is a stand alone piece,so one can pick the ones they want to read ar skip, as well as in which order they choose to read them. Whether it's the Indians,Mexicans,Railroads,Miners,Lawmen,Outlaws,Explorers,Politicians, Famous or Infamous,or whatever;it's all here. There is a short piece on each of the contributers giving details about their other writings. One of the essays is a little different "R.I.P. The Whereabouts of Forty Celebrated Westerners", and what became of them after their time in the limelight, and where they were finally laid to rest. In addition to being a good read,it is a good resourse to keep handy to verify the truth about things one comes across while reading Western writing.

This is the way it was!

This book contains 27 articles written by the very best western history scholars that are working today. All articles are well written and well researched, as you would expect from members of the Western Writers of America. Topics in this book range from Zebulon Pike, to the Alamo, to Ranald Mackenzie. There is a nice mix of information on already famous personalities, and those who are much less well known, but equally worthy of fame. This book is eclectic, and will help to expand your overall knowledge of the history of the West.