The Saga of Hugh Glass: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man --by John Myers Myers

Nonfiction / American History

237 pages / 2151 KB

5 stars

I was in elementary school when I first came across the story of Hugh Glass, and he immediately became one of my childhood heroes. I wanted to grow up and be a Mountain Man like Glass and Bridger, Colter and Meek. I was in fifth, possibly sixth grade when I came across a copy of Lord Grizzley by Frederick Manfred. By the time I read Neihardt's The Song of Hugh Glass I was an adult, and well aware I would never be a Mountain Man.

How I missed Myers' book, I'll never know, but thanks to the new movie, The Revenant, I did some research online and came across, bought, and read his book. If, perchance, you're looking for a dry, date, and fact-filled, history book, look elsewhere, please. Myers had a voice unique, and this book, though filled with facts and dates, is not dry. He explained how he found his sources, why he believed this one and not that one, and spun a history as captivating as any campfire yarn you could hope to read or hear.

If Hugh Glass had not had such an intimate introduction to Mama Grizzly, chances are we would never have heard of him, beyond a name in a ledger in one of the fur companies for which he worked. But Glass had that introduction, and against all odds, survived to tell about it. And to seek revenge on the two men (Jim Bridger and John Fitzpatrick) who abandoned him.  In Bridger's defense, he was a greenhorn, young, Glass was barely alive, and a war party of Indians was about. Besides, Fitzpatrick wanted to keep both his life, and Hugh's rifle.

If your only introduction to Hugh Glass is via the movie with Leonardo Di Caprio, then read the real story. Or as close as we'll ever get to the real story. This is an extremely entertaining book by an accomplished author. Well worth the time and money.

Henry Harmon Spalding --by CM Drury

Henry Harmon Spalding: Pioneer of Old Oregon – by Clifford M. Drury

History / Old Oregon

438 pages

4 Stars

I did not find this book as engaging as the two volumes by Drury about the Whitmans. Possibly because much of the same territory was covered; possibly because I had hoped to find more about Eliza Hart Spalding, his first wife, and her thoughts and contributions, and possibly; because I don't think I liked old Henry all that much. Still as a history of the opening of the Oregon Country, as a history of the early pioneers, this book was fascinating, and worth the time to read.

Drury was both an historian and a minister, so he brings a special insight into what these early pioneers had to up with put. This well-written book was published before the two volumes on the Whitmans, and during the intervening time, Drury uncovered new information. In this book, he states the idea that Spalding proposed to Narcissa before Marcus, and was refused, was false. In the later books, he found information to verify that. (I would love to find a copy of Eliza's diary of the overland journey the Spaldings and Whitmans made together. How did she feel, what did she think, every time Spalding looked at Narcissa? She knew about the prior proposal, what did she think of being 'second choice'?)

There are many illustrations and photos in this book that were not available during the time of the Whitmans. This book contains information somewhat different from the other one about the massacre. Whereas the Whitmans spent their time with the Cayuse, the Spaldings were with the Nes Perce. Spalding was fiercely loyal to 'his' Nez Perce, and resented interlopers. And he had the right idea, apparently, of teaching them in their language, of teaching them to farm rather than follow the game trails all year, of "civilizing" them. He and Eliza are well thought of by the Nez Perce this day. While I don't think we would have ever been fast friends, I hold a great deal of respect for both Henry, and Eliza, and his second wife, Rachel.

If you're a history buff interested in the Oregon Country and how it was opened to the emigrants, I recommend this book. This book, like the ones on the Whitmans, uses footnotes not end notes. A big plus in my mind!

Red Earth: A Vietnam Warrior's Journey --by Philip H. Red Eagle

Fiction / Historical

132 pages

5 Stars

This book is two novellas, Red Earth and Bois de Sioux. They are about men who survived Vietnam to come home to families, nightmares, and eventual healing.

What is it like to suffer PTSD? Can one work through it? These men did, with the help of their Native heritage, friends, and fellow vets.

Red Eagle is a powerful writer, and he wrote two powerful stories. I'm not an aficionado of Vietnam books, but this one is one I'll read again. And buy more copies for friends, especially my brothers and sisters who need the healing that Red Eagle gives.

These stories heal. And are not just for 'Nam vets, but for anyone who has seen combat either in a war, an inner city, or a trauma room.

Red Eagle will take you to Hell, he will show you the way home, through the pain, the anguish, the distrust, the nightmares, until you are once again where you need to be. Every combat vet needs to read this book. The family of every combat needs to read this book.

(A Few White) Women Who Made The West

The Women Who Made The West: The stories of the unsung heroines of the American frontier –by The Western Writers of America

Nonfiction / History

252 pages

1979

4 Stars

Note: the picture is for a later edition 1982) of the same book.

This collection of 18 short biographies of white women who helped to open and settle the West is slightly misnamed. Considering the time published (1979) we were calling much of the book's "West" the "Midwest" and the use of "The" in the title makes it sound like it's all inclusive. It isn't. Still, it is an interesting collection of stories about some very interesting women who made large contributions to our country. These are not stories of the women who came west in wagon trains, or who bravely fought off Indians (though there are a couple of stories where that nearly became a problem). These are stories of women who, for the most part, saw the century change from 1899 to 1900 and beyond.

These were women who either sought adventure and came West on their own, or came with a husband, and rose to the necessity of surviving in heroic measure. All of the women in this book were white women, there was nothing about the women of color—Indian, Mexican, African, Chinese—who also helped 'make' the West, and for that, I fault the book. Two come easily to mind: Lalu Nathoy, or Polly, as she was later called who was sold by her father in China and ended up in Idaho and helped settle that area and Marie Dorion, an Ioway Indian, who came west shortly after Sacajawea, but unlike Sacajawea who contributed nothing to the opening of the West, Marie stayed, as the first pioneer woman in the Oregon Country, and gave birth to the first 'white' children in the Oregon Country. (Her husbands were metis, and therefore his children were considered white. They weren't always treated as such, but for the record were considered as white.)

If you are interested in the history of white women at the turn of the century, this is an excellent book. The stories are short, accessible, and well researched by the authors (each story was written by a different author). The women ranged from Doctors to Madames to Ranchers to Suffragettes, and everything in between, including a bona fide teenage heroine who saved many lives during a horrendous flood.

The book is out of print, but copies are available from book resellers.

Mrs. Mary Jemison - her story

A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison –by James E. Seaver, edited by June Namias

Nonfiction

192 pages / 203 KB

5 stars

The first 60 pages of this book were taken up by notes of both the Editor and the Author, and were quite interesting. the narrative itself is about 87 pages and fascinating. There is also an index in the back. If you can find this volume, I think you will find it worth the searching. The key here is EDITED BY JUNE NAMIAS. Search for it.

Mary's family and neighbors, were taken by Indian when Mary was a young girl. Eventually, Mary and a younger boy were separated out and taken farther, while everyone else was killed (the other neighbors were in hot pursuit).

Two sisters who had lost a brother to war adopted Mary, and treated her like family. She became the missing sibling. They treated her well, taught her the language, and arranged a good marriage for her.

When the time arrived that she could go back to the white's, she really didn't want to go. She had a new family, new friends, and was totally accepted. If she went back to the white's she would have been looked down on, and her children would not have been accepted. She also found she had far more freedom and autonomy, and was treated better as an Indian than she would have been had she returned. (Many white women preferred to stay with their new families rather than be repatriated, and many were forcibly taken back by the whites when found. They had to endure two captures. Many of those, when they could, ran away and found their way back to their tribal home.)

This book tells the story of her time with the Indians as told to, and interpreted by, Mr. Seaver. As Ms. Namias points out in her Introduction, we don't know what questions Mr. Seaver asked, nor do we know her direct responses, but he appears to have done a pretty good job of listening to her story over a three day span of time, and then writing down what she told him.

Mary had several children by her second husband, all of whom were named after her biological family, and who kept those names. Should you live in, or travel to, the northeastern part of the country, and meet a Jemison, chances are they are descendants of Mary – or at least of her family.

I admit to a certain fascination of this part of history, so entered the book expecting a page-burning story. I was not disappointed. This is as close to living history as I can get. If you enjoy history, this is a book you need to read!