Settling the West

by Time-Life Books

Covering the period of westward expansion, from 1860 to 1900, an extensively illustrated history describes the settlers, miners, and others who ventured west to seek new lives, capturing the cowboys, gold-seekers, lawmen, outlaws, railroad builders, and others who transformed the American frontier.

Genres: History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1996

Reviews

[Macayla Fryc · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*
Voluntary reading as we prepare for our trip "Out West." What a great book! Didn't feel at all like a novel read, more like a fascinating coffee table book (that's extremely researched). Photos on every page, inserts, and fun facts. Still took more than a few hours to read. Major points of discussion are the Gold Rush and Wagon Trains, the Cattle Drives of the South, the Transcontinental Railroad, and Rustlers vs Big Cowmen.
While there were definitely points left out that would have been interesting (to credit the book, it fully disclaims it not being a complete history - The American Story is very true), detailing the entirety of events happening at that time would have been exhausting, so post-read, I was glad the fewer topics were delved into so thoroughly.
Primarily interesting to those who specifically want to know about the West rather than just looking for a good read.

[Richard Crater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing recent history gives me a good perspective on the present day. This book is divided into four sections. The first section is about the gold and silver rush in Nevada, and it goes into depth on the different people involved and the towns that sprung up (talk about the Wild Wild West!) The second section is about the trials and tribulations of moving cattle (referred to as "beeves") from TX to other states, particularly Kansas, and the establishment of the Chisholm Trail. The third section is about the infancy of railroads and the building of the transcontinental RR. It was fascinating because it goes into all the personalities and politics involved, and details about HOW they did it. The last section was about the clash between the "cattlemen" and small ranchers.