Eyewitness to the American West: From the Aztec Empire to the Digital Frontier in the Words of Those Who Saw it Happen

by David Colbert

Gathers together two hundred snippets from the diaries, letters, memoirs, and reporting of witnesses to the settlement of the West, from Balboa to Georgia O'Keefe

Genres: History, Nonfiction

496 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rose Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book of 500 years of individual witnesses to some big known history and lesser known history of America's movement westward.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

EYEWITNESS To The American West--what a brilliant idea to present history. David Colbert sets out a patchwork quilt of narratives that illustrate American West as it was. With minimal commentary from Colbert, the reader forms a unique understanding of the area.

MOST WOW NARRATIVE--
1520- Cortes describes the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) as he saw it. An Aztec describes the arrival of Cortes.
MOST "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT..."
1680- The most successful Indiana uprising against Europeans--Pueblo vs. Jesuits
THE SADDEST STORY--
1837- Smallpox epidemics killed more Indians than battle. See eyewitness account of F.A. Chardon, a trader in North Dakota.
NO REALLY, THIS MAY BE THE SADDEST--
1851- Journal entry of the soldier who remove Yosemite Indians from their home as requested by Gold Rush miners. The soldier led the chief by a rope around his neck.
BADDEST--
1865- Juneteenth was sadder than it sounds.
ICKIEST--
1889- The Great Land Rush in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Narratives of Boomers and Sooners.
WHO KNEW?
1935--Description of working conditions building the Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam).
1977-89-The wreck of the Exxon Valdez. Who cleaned up the mess?
and NOW Silicon Valley and the movie industry shaping the West into what it is today.