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Hallelujah Trail
In the late 1800's a train of eighty freight wagons from Wallingtham and Company left Julesburg bound for the mining camps at Denver in the Colorado Territory. What is unusual is the 2700 cases of imported French Champagne and 1600 barrels of Philadelphia Whiskey they carry.
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 10, 2017
This book was the basis for the 1965 large-scale western movie staring Burt Lancaster and Lee Remick of the same name. The book and the movie describe the (chaotic) events surrounding the transport of a wagon trainload of liquor. As a teenager, I found the movie hilarious - laugh out loud fun. You've got your hen-pecked and over-worked cavalry, your fervent female temperance league, your liquor-interested Native Americans, your strike-hungry teamsters, your beleaguered liquor company owner (big favorite Brian Keith), and your local liquor-starved barflies, all mixed up in a delightful bouillabaisse of western fun. Although the critics gave it less than stellar ratings, how could they not like a comedy in a western saddle? I found it delightful, with several amusing twists in the ending.
I found the book quite readable, and entertaining, but not laugh out loud. Perhaps because the book was such a match to the film - all the surprises were gone. Most of the subtle plot twists in the book were slammed home in the movie with a baseball bat, so it was hard to enjoy the nuances. A fresh reader, who hasn't seen the film - I think - would find the book story, and humor, totally fresh. The protagonists are fun, the story is humorous, and I think the ending would be full of surprises.
I found the book quite readable, and entertaining, but not laugh out loud. Perhaps because the book was such a match to the film - all the surprises were gone. Most of the subtle plot twists in the book were slammed home in the movie with a baseball bat, so it was hard to enjoy the nuances. A fresh reader, who hasn't seen the film - I think - would find the book story, and humor, totally fresh. The protagonists are fun, the story is humorous, and I think the ending would be full of surprises.
April 14, 2023
The Hallelujah Trail is the story of how eighty wagons of whiskey disappeared somewhere between Julesburg and Denver in late November 1867. Journalist Jim Perry, "truthful, impartial, and fair", has written a report and investigated all the parties involved in the journey of the wagon train: owner and tradesman Frank Wallingham, his Irish teamsters, Oracle Jones and the Denver citizens' militia to whom the whiskey is being delivered, a group of suffragist temperance women, the army personnel tasked with ensuring safe transport of both cargo and people, and finally the Native Americans and their leader Chief Five Barrels, who "had developed an inordinate appetite for alcohol." Gulick's book represents Jim Perry's report, which he reads out to President Ulysses S Grant one evening.
The story is entertaining and plot driven, so if you're looking for lyricism and interesting themes you may be disappointed. The players are mostly fictional stock characters, perhaps questionable in the 21st century, and although the real-life Sojourner Truth makes an appearance, her dialogue is written in a stereotypical Southern dialect.
By Chapter 13, not quite half way through the book, everyone's motives and personalities have been carefully set out, ready for the best scene in the story. Gulick (through Perry) relates the action in a brief, synopsis style, which forces readers to use their own imagination to picture events, rather than relying on the writer's description. This is the high-point of an expertly woven comedy caper and I laughed out loud.
Much as I enjoyed the story, I found it hard to ignore a problem with the narration device. Perry's report includes intimate scenes which its author couldn't possibly be aware of. Gulick must have thought this too and attempts an explanation late in the book, about 70% through the story. He has his newspaperman admit he "from time to time set down bits of conversation not actually overheard or recorded" and explains "the aim of the writer has been Understanding ...the best historians interpret as well as record." Which brings me to the excellent, Coen-Brothers-style Author's Note: "...this book is based upon an actual historical happening... You would be surprised, dear reader, if you knew how much truth there is to the tale you're about to read."
The only other Western I've read is True Grit , not only a great story with a thought-provoking theme, but also beautifully written. The Hallelujah Trail did not compare well with that, but if you enjoyed the movie and just want an entertaining read, go for it.
The story is entertaining and plot driven, so if you're looking for lyricism and interesting themes you may be disappointed. The players are mostly fictional stock characters, perhaps questionable in the 21st century, and although the real-life Sojourner Truth makes an appearance, her dialogue is written in a stereotypical Southern dialect.
By Chapter 13, not quite half way through the book, everyone's motives and personalities have been carefully set out, ready for the best scene in the story. Gulick (through Perry) relates the action in a brief, synopsis style, which forces readers to use their own imagination to picture events, rather than relying on the writer's description. This is the high-point of an expertly woven comedy caper and I laughed out loud.
Much as I enjoyed the story, I found it hard to ignore a problem with the narration device. Perry's report includes intimate scenes which its author couldn't possibly be aware of. Gulick must have thought this too and attempts an explanation late in the book, about 70% through the story. He has his newspaperman admit he "from time to time set down bits of conversation not actually overheard or recorded" and explains "the aim of the writer has been Understanding ...the best historians interpret as well as record." Which brings me to the excellent, Coen-Brothers-style Author's Note: "...this book is based upon an actual historical happening... You would be surprised, dear reader, if you knew how much truth there is to the tale you're about to read."
The only other Western I've read is True Grit , not only a great story with a thought-provoking theme, but also beautifully written. The Hallelujah Trail did not compare well with that, but if you enjoyed the movie and just want an entertaining read, go for it.
March 25, 2018
One of my favorite films is the delightful parody of the Western genre, THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL. Taking place just after the end of the Civil War, it is the story of a huge wagon train of whiskey and champagne bound for the parched throats of miners in Denver ... and the many interested parties with different designs on the cargo.
There was the wagon master who put up everything he owned to make a once-in-a-lifetime killing on the delivery of the shipment. There was the cavalry Colonel assigned to protect the shipment. There was a Temperance Women’s group who wanted to destroy the cargo. There were the miners who sent out their own militia to protect the last alcohol they’d see before a long winter arrived. And there were the Indians who saw an opportunity to negotiate a peace and collect a settlement.
All of them are in the book that was originally called THE HALLELUJAH TRAIN, and was renamed as a tie-in with the movie’s release. There are differences, but many of the occurrences of the film were also in the book. It was a very fun read.
There was one point that surprised me, though. It came in the form of the Author’s Note at the front of the book:
“Although this book is based upon actual historical happenings, all of the characters in it, except a few political figures and the Suffragist lecturer, Sojourner Truth, are fictional and no reference is intended to actual people, living or dead.
“When a work of fiction is based on fact, it is customary for the author to give the reader some warning of what to expect. So here it is.
“You would be surprised, dear reader, if you knew how much truth there is to the tale you’re about to read.”
What? Is the writer actually saying that a number of events in this whimsical story actually happened? Well, I did some digging.
The complete and hilarious muddle that the writer calls “The Battle of Whiskey Flats” may have been derived from “The Battle of White Rock” which became a non-event because the warring parties couldn’t find each other. That’s all I was able to locate, but I didn’t spend a great deal of time searching.
If you have never seen THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL, the book is still an enjoyable romp as the movies was made from it rather than it being a novelization of a film script. There are laugh out loud moments and it is a great deal of fun to follow the different groups as best-made plans collide. The dialogue is frothy and the pace just races along.
There was the wagon master who put up everything he owned to make a once-in-a-lifetime killing on the delivery of the shipment. There was the cavalry Colonel assigned to protect the shipment. There was a Temperance Women’s group who wanted to destroy the cargo. There were the miners who sent out their own militia to protect the last alcohol they’d see before a long winter arrived. And there were the Indians who saw an opportunity to negotiate a peace and collect a settlement.
All of them are in the book that was originally called THE HALLELUJAH TRAIN, and was renamed as a tie-in with the movie’s release. There are differences, but many of the occurrences of the film were also in the book. It was a very fun read.
There was one point that surprised me, though. It came in the form of the Author’s Note at the front of the book:
“Although this book is based upon actual historical happenings, all of the characters in it, except a few political figures and the Suffragist lecturer, Sojourner Truth, are fictional and no reference is intended to actual people, living or dead.
“When a work of fiction is based on fact, it is customary for the author to give the reader some warning of what to expect. So here it is.
“You would be surprised, dear reader, if you knew how much truth there is to the tale you’re about to read.”
What? Is the writer actually saying that a number of events in this whimsical story actually happened? Well, I did some digging.
The complete and hilarious muddle that the writer calls “The Battle of Whiskey Flats” may have been derived from “The Battle of White Rock” which became a non-event because the warring parties couldn’t find each other. That’s all I was able to locate, but I didn’t spend a great deal of time searching.
If you have never seen THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL, the book is still an enjoyable romp as the movies was made from it rather than it being a novelization of a film script. There are laugh out loud moments and it is a great deal of fun to follow the different groups as best-made plans collide. The dialogue is frothy and the pace just races along.
May 26, 2023
Based on an historical event that, from start to finish, was a total carnival of errors, The Hallelujah Trail is one of the old West's most hilarious adventures.
In the late 1800's, a train of 80 freight wagons from Wallingham and Company left Julesburg bound for the mining camps at Denver, in the Colorado Territory. What is unusual is the 2700 cases of imported French Champagne and 1600 barrels of Philadelphia Whisky they carry.
Add to the tale several greedy Denver businessmen, a thirsty Indian chief and his warriors, testy Irish teamsters, and a band of self-righteous Temperance League suffragettes, and things get complicated for Thaddeus Gearheart, U. S. Army Colonel. The Colonel is charged with the security of the "secret" wagon train, and finds his hands full in dealing with a self-appointed frontier seer, Oracle Jones and his Citizen's Militia, the distraught freight owner Frank Wallingham, Cora Massingale on her temperance campaign, and Chief "Five Barrels" with plans of his own for the wagon train.
In the late 1800's, a train of 80 freight wagons from Wallingham and Company left Julesburg bound for the mining camps at Denver, in the Colorado Territory. What is unusual is the 2700 cases of imported French Champagne and 1600 barrels of Philadelphia Whisky they carry.
Add to the tale several greedy Denver businessmen, a thirsty Indian chief and his warriors, testy Irish teamsters, and a band of self-righteous Temperance League suffragettes, and things get complicated for Thaddeus Gearheart, U. S. Army Colonel. The Colonel is charged with the security of the "secret" wagon train, and finds his hands full in dealing with a self-appointed frontier seer, Oracle Jones and his Citizen's Militia, the distraught freight owner Frank Wallingham, Cora Massingale on her temperance campaign, and Chief "Five Barrels" with plans of his own for the wagon train.
March 18, 2022
This book is hilarious and the movie is worth the watch as well.
November 10, 2025
The Western motifs and hilarious storytelling of this novel fulfilled my craving for an old fashioned Wild West tale.
February 2, 2017
This book was great, I felt it was in the same vein as the old westerns Like "Support your local Sheriff", I loved this story and it was told well. Funny as Heck and wouldn't surprize me to know it was a true event.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews