A Shovel of Stars: The Making of the American West, 1800 to the Present

by Ted Morgan

Continuing the saga that began with Wilderness at Dawn, a chronicle of the American West recounts the formation of the remainder of the United States, from the Louisiana Purchase through the settling of Alaska. 35,000 first printing.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Westerns

559 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Born Saint-Charles Armand Gabriel de Gramont*, he used the name Sanche de Gramont as his byline (and also on his books) during the early part of his career. He worked as a journalist for many years, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 for local reporting written under pressure of a deadline. He first came to the United States in 1937, and became a naturalized citizen in February 1977, at which time he had his name legally changed to Ted Morgan. He was a National Book Award finalist in 1982 for Maugham: A Biography.


*His father was a military pilot who died in an accident in 1943, at which point he inherited the title "Comte de Gramont". He was properly styled "Saint-Charles Armand Gabriel, Comte de Gramont" until he renounced his title upon becoming a U.S. citizen in 1977.

Reviews

[Antigone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted Morgan's two-volume history of the settlement of America began with Wilderness at Dawn, which covered the formation of the first thirteen states. A Shovel of Stars continues the story, tracking westward expansion and the transformation of the vast frontier landscape into discrete, legally-recognized territories striving for statehood. Each of the remaining thirty-seven regions are taken on individually; their tales told in large part through the recollection of those who were present at the time - the pioneers, the soldiers, the slaves, the miners, the farmers, the legislators, the entrepreneurs. It is Morgan's intent to illuminate through the participant's voice, and while this approach makes for highly entertaining reading, you should be warned that it comes at a cost. He's traded information for incident, which means you'll need some basic, pre-existing knowledge of American history to put great stretches of this book into context.

That said, I got quite a bit out of reading this work. Sometimes it takes a shift in perspective, an alteration of emphasis, even a bit of straining for that context, to bring a circumstance alive in my mind. Dots are suddenly connected; words flash, comprehensions fire. I had not fully realized, for example, the larger legal issues Lincoln faced when considering the statehood of West Virginia.

The South was at that time breaking away from the Union. The population of a western section of Virginia determined, all things considered, they would rather not. But can the government create a state from within an already-established one? What precedent would be set? And shouldn't the rest of the state have a say in the matter? Yet if the rest of this state is currently refusing to recognize the rule of its duly-elected federal government, do they have any legal standing in the matter at all? Abe was his usual brilliant self. Astonishingly astute. The absolute exception to Shakespeare's suggestion - here's the lawyer you spare and listen very closely to.

This book also served to remind me how very little I know about California. A public school education sweeps across history, providing salient detail only to the region in which the school is set. Mine was in New York. I learned about the pilgrims, the Boston Tea Party, the Revolutionary War, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge. I am always, always, so surprised to find the Russians took root in Marin County, and that the string of these beautiful Spanish missions was in actuality a very cruel and contemptible enterprise. It's a settlement story worth exploring...should I ever manage to loosen the grip of Bonaparte's France.

[J. Clayton Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrative history at its best, with snippets of daily life interspersed with the (quite often dirty) politics involved in creating states out of territories. I was surprised at how often respect for women persisted in the Old West. Can you imagine making a woman a gold courier because no one would dare search her? Morgan saves one of the most interesting characters for last: Miles Martin in the Alaskan wilderness. A subsistence "bushrat", his way of catching food and furs would make (and probably has made) animal rights activists cringe. You find yourself hating and admiring him. A member of the dog team can no longer pull its weight? Don't waste food on him--shoot him! And it makes sense. Perhaps Morgan spends so much ink on Martin because he truly represents the frontier spirit, for good and ill. Martin falls victim to government bureaucracy, the very entity he was trying to escape. And so did every other independent spirit in the old frontier. It's a tough call. The book is filled with entrepreneurs who, when successful, are more often than not gobbled up by the bigger entrepreneurs. Capitalism at its worst, Big Daddy government at its worst--who can choose between them? Morgan (a transplanted Frenchman whose books I was reading before he became 'Ted') provides an aching balancing act between the two, and you are left admiring the best and loathing the worst.

[Ushan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to Wilderness at Dawn, describing the settlement of the United States from 1800 till the present (and the native reaction to it). Its famous heroes are Lewis and Clark, Osceola, Kit Carson, John Sutter, Brigham Young, Geronimo, Asa Mercer (Mercer Island, home to many yuppies, is named after both him and his brother). As in the previous book, many nonfamous people also appear; my favorite is a mulatto slave from Kentucky, his Scots-Irish owner's son by a West African woman. He started a business mining and refining saltpeter and manufacturing gunpowder for the War of 1812; he first bought his wife out of slavery, ensuring that all their subsequent children would be free, and later himself. As he made money from managing his owner's estate and renting his labor out, he kept buying land and the freedom of his children born before the manumission of his wife, and later his grandchildren by those children. When his wife's former owners sued him, claiming that she borrowed money from them and didn't return it, he argued that at the time of her supposed borrowing, she was a slave and thus not legally a party to contracts; when the local court ruled against him, he appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which found that his position was the only one consistent with the slave codes. In 1836 his large family moved to Illinois, where he bought enough land to found a township.

Ted Morgan himself has an unusual biography. He was born in 1932 as Le Comte Sanche Armand Gabriel de Gramont, a male-line descendant of a 17th-century Maréchal de France; drafted into the French army in 1956, he fought in Algeria. When he naturalized as an American citizen in 1977, he discarded his title of nobility and renamed himself Ted Morgan, an anagram of de Gramont.

[Chris Laskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd read. This is the second volume of a 2 volume set exploring the underbelly of American History through the voices of the settlers, pioneers minorities and native americans. Anyone interested in American History from the non political entities should have these works on their list. One can look at this AH as the kindly loving Uncle whom you find out is a lying, scheming, thieving son of a bitch with hardly a thought of killing anyone who stood in his way. Granted we should always aim for ideals and behavior that rise above the ilk but as this book, especially this volume, demonstrates we often fall far below that in the founding of these United States. This work continues the settling and creation of each state after the original 13. Told from lively diaries and journals of those who explored and founded it sets about detailing the process to statehood. In doing so he pretty much demolishes any noble pursuit of democracy and justice. The book is filled with racial bias, violence, greed and corporate villainy. At some point it all becomes a little much and while there are some noble folks presented, by and large, the author appears intent on showing the more brutal side of American History. Nonetheless a must read as his writing is spirited and convivial.

[Jeff Russo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun, mostly because I never tire of reading the salty pronouncements of people from centuries ago. Each chapter is nicely balanced, with an overview of the history of the state in question (from its frontier days to its admission as a state) followed by stories of individual people.

[Laurent Reinhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as a Christmas present for my French-born mother 25 years ago. Ted Morgan, born Sanche de Gramont, is an extremely accomplished historian with an unabashed love for his adopted nation. In this volume, he put together state-by-state histories of the last 25 or so states to become part of the USA. Each chapter is a state's origin story that includes firsthand narratives, many quite colorful, from people present at its creation. This brings history alive in relatable ways and makes for a compelling read overall. Morgan is an enthusiastic American, yet doesn't overidealize things or shy away from showing some of our nation's warts. This is especially relevant in 2021, when there is a great deal of controversy over how US history should be taught and whether warts should even be mentioned at all. I also want to read the volume that preceded this, Morgan's 1994 Wilderness at Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent, which covers the first 25 US states.

"On September 3, the entourage stopped in Bismarck to lay the cornerstone for the [future North Dakota] state capitol. The guest of honor was Sitting Bull, who had been granted leave from the reservation by the secretary of the interior. . . The legendary chief rose, but instead of reciting a speech that had been prepared for him, he said in his own language: 'I hate you. I hate all white people. You are thieves and liars. You have taken away our land and made us outcasts.' The interpreter, however, read the prepared remarks, and everyone applauded." p 312

[Christopher C. Gorham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't quite know how he did it, but Ted Morgan perfected a dynamic style of narrative history that is factual and emotional, wrenching and witty, and that balances the decision-makers with everyday people. Like handing off a baton, it is mostly the little-known or forgotten figures, who, short-and-interesting paragraph after short-and-interesting paragraph, carry the story forward.

[M C · Rating 4 out of 5]

E book. Well written