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Title: The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman, Anthony Brandt, Amelia Earhart ISBN: 0-7922-6640-4 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: July, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Old-Old West From One Who Was There
Comment: Francis Parkman lived the Oregon Trail, slept it, ate it, marveled at it, and wrote an excellent memoir that leaves one with the feel of sand in your boots and the smell of buffalo roasting on the fire.
As a young man, Parkman went out west in 1846 to discover the American Indian. Setting out from Independence, Mo., Parkman proceeded to Ft. Larime (Wyoming), spent many weeks with a band of Indians as they hunted buffalo and secured life's necessities for the coming season, and returned to "the settlements" via Bent's Fort (Colorado) and the upper Santa Fe Trail. (Making this wonderful book misnamed since he was only on about the first 1/3 of the Oregon Trail and never crossed the Rockies).
What Parkman has left us is a wonderfully descriptive first person account of overland travel in the rugged west and the life of the Indian (as viewed by an outsider).
The strength of this book is in the details. Parkman has a keen eye whether it is turned towards imposing landscapes, Indian village life and travel, or buffalo hunting. This book has a gritty feel that paints the grandeur of western vistas as well as the hard reality of subsistence life (both Indian and white traveler) lived outdoors in a frequently unforgiving land.
Parkman's voice does have a 19th century feel. Modern readers will find he over-introduces new subjects (ie, "since, reader, we are telling of a buffalo hunt, now is a good time to acquaint you with the manner in which buffalo are brought to ground.") and the book does not have the flow associated with more contemporary writing. His attitudes towards Indians reflect the majority view of that time period and he was certainly at times a gratuitous hunter.
But the book's descriptive power, as well as the fascinating telling of life among the Indians and on the plains makes this well worth the time. This is a first person account that speaks of authenticity and gave me a feel for "what it must have been like." A good read.
Rating: 4
Summary: Eye Witness To The Oregon Trail
Comment: Francis Parkman lived the Oregon Trail, slept it, ate it, marveled at it, and wrote an excellent memoir that leaves one with the feel of sand in your boots and the smell of buffalo roasting on the fire.
As a young man, Parkman went out west in 1846 to discover the American Indian. Setting out from Independence, Mo., Parkman proceeded to Ft. Larime (Wyoming), spent many weeks with a band of Indians as they hunted buffalo and secured life's necessities for the coming season, and returned to "the settlements" via Bent's Fort (Colorado) and the upper Santa Fe Trail. (Making this wonderful book misnamed since he was only on about the first 1/3 of the Oregon Trail and never crossed the Rockies).
What Parkman has left us is a wonderfully descriptive first person account of overland travel in the rugged west and the life of the Indian (as viewed by an outsider).
The strength of this book is in the details. Parkman has a keen eye whether it is turned towards imposing landscapes, Indian village life and travel, or buffalo hunting. This book has a gritty feel that paints the grandeur of western vistas as well as the hard reality of subsistence life (both Indian and white traveler) lived outdoors in a frequently unforgiving land.
Parkman's voice does have a 19th century feel. Modern readers will find he over-introduces new subjects (ie, "since, reader, we are telling of a buffalo hunt, now is a good time to acquaint you with the manner in which buffalo are brought to ground.") and the book does not have the flow associated with more contemporary writing. His attitudes towards Indians reflect the majority view of that time period and he was certainly at times a gratuitous hunter.
But the book's descriptive power, as well as the fascinating telling of life among the Indians and on the plains makes this well worth the time. This is a first person account that speaks of authenticity and gave me a feel for "what it must have been like." A good read.
Rating: 3
Summary: The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman
Comment: This book is very well written. His description of the plains, Black Hills and wildlife make you feel like you were there. It is amazing how little the landscape has changed between the 1840s and today, especially Western Nebraska.
Francis was a lucky man to survive the journey; however, he gave no indication that he was fortunate. The follies and close calls were just a day in the life of an Oregon Trail traveler.
His time spent with the Dakota Indians was most intriguing. At times Francis would show respect for the Indians while his opinion of their lifestyle and culture was one of disrespect and crudeness.
The book does get bogged down in the latter half with the wasteful killing of buffalo and almost anything that moved (antelope, elk, birds, rattle snake, etc.). It seemed as though a herd of buffalo would appear at every crest or vista, which would prompt Parkman and his travel mates go on a killing spree. The tails and tongues of the bulls were cut off and placed on the shooters saddle. Bull meat was almost never eaten and the carcasses were left for the wolves and buzzards.
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Title: Fantastic Facts about the Oregon Trail by Michael J. Trinklein ISBN: 1883691001 Publisher: Boettcher/Trinklein Pub. Date: 06 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $3.00 |
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Title: Daily Life in a Covered Wagon by Paul Erickson ISBN: 0140562125 Publisher: Scott Foresman (Pearson K-12) Pub. Date: July, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons by John Wesley Powell, Wallace Earle Stegner ISBN: 0142437522 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 27 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: The Journals of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Anthony Brandt ISBN: 0792269217 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Adventures of Captain Bonneville by Washington Irving ISBN: 0792237439 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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