Yankees & Rebels on the Upper Missouri: Steamboats, Gold and Peace

by Ken Robison

During the 1860s, the Missouri River served as a natural highway, through snags and rapids, from St. Louis to Fort Benton for steamboats bringing Yankees and Rebels and their families to the remote Montana territory. The migration transformed the Upper Missouri region from the isolation of the fur trade era to the raucous gold rush days that would keep the region in turmoil for decades. The influx of newcomers involved its share of dramatic episodes, including the explosion of the Chippewa triggered by a drunken crew member, the mystery of the fugitive James-Younger gang and Colonel Everton Conger's journey from capturing John Wilkes Booth to the Montana Supreme Court. Acclaimed historian Ken Robison reveals the thrilling history behind this war-weary wave of migration seeking opportunity on Montana's wild and scenic frontier.

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2016

Reviews

[John Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part I enjoyed the book. However, too often I felt like I was reading a civil war history. It was somewhat interesting but at the same time it became tedious with seemingly endless dates and locations of battles. The nexus to settling early Montana via steamboat up the Missouri River, which was my primary interest in buying the book, in the end seemed secondary. Nonetheless, the author has assembled an interesting array of biographical sketches of early Montana settlers. His writing reflects extensive research. I would definitely recommend it to those wanting to read about lesser known, but accomplished, early Montana settlers.

[Len Coombs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mainly a series of biographical sketches of Civil War veterans who moved to Montana's Upper Missouri region after the war. Interesting, but to learn much about Montana's role in the Civil War you would need to read Robison's earlier book on the subject.