On Turner's Trail: 100 Years of Writing Western History

by Wilbur R. Jacobs

Jacobs (history, UC Santa Barbara) chronicles the debate between traditionalist and revisionist views of Frederick Jackson Turner, "the father of Western history," and provides a new interpretation of Turner's life, work, and legacy, based in part on Turner's proposals involving the creation of international political parties, a world government, and his suggestions to cope with the threats of overpopulation and scarcity of resources. Includes b&w photos. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

Wilbur R. Jacobs (June 30, 1918 – June 15, 1998) was an American historian, with a special interest in Native American, Western, and Environmental history.

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1918, Jacobs moved west at a young age and settled in the Los Angeles area. He started college at Pasadena City College, then earned his B.A. (1940) and M.A. (1942) in History at the University of California, Los Angeles. After military service during World War II, Jacobs started doctoral study at Johns Hopkins University, but decided to return to UCLA to pursue Western Frontier history under the direction of Lewis Knott Koontz. He finished his doctorate in 1947 and then taught Western Civilization at Stanford University for two years, before accepting a call to the History program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (known at that time as the University of California, Santa Barbara College). At the University of California, Santa Barbara, Jacobs served as a founding member of the History Department and also served as Department Chair from 1961-1964.