Eyewitness to the American West: 500 Years of Firsthand History

by David Colbert

In this collection of letters, diaries, interviews, and public writings from people who were "in the right place at the right time," David Colbert gives us a history of the American West, "but not the one we usually encounter and expect" ( Dallas Morning News ).Spanning 500 years from the Aztecs' first encounter with Spanish conquistadors to the explosion of technology in Silicon Valley today, vivid episodes swirl together, revealing patterns that link early Kentuckians and Asian immigrants, Mormons and black "Buffalo Soldiers," the first Los Angeles smog and an 1811 earthquake that reversed the Mississippi's flow, the Trail of Tears and the Summer of Love, Georgia O'Keefe at Taos, the origin of Levi's, and the eruption of culture in the contemporary Northwest. David Colbert's kaleidoscope of the American experience invites readers to delve into any moment in the history of the West, offering clear themes that will satisfy history buffs, and enough entertaining surprises to delight the casual reader.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

496 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rose Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book of 500 years of individual witnesses to some big known history and lesser known history of America's movement westward.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

EYEWITNESS To The American West--what a brilliant idea to present history. David Colbert sets out a patchwork quilt of narratives that illustrate American West as it was. With minimal commentary from Colbert, the reader forms a unique understanding of the area.

MOST WOW NARRATIVE--
1520- Cortes describes the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) as he saw it. An Aztec describes the arrival of Cortes.
MOST "I DIDN'T KNOW THAT..."
1680- The most successful Indiana uprising against Europeans--Pueblo vs. Jesuits
THE SADDEST STORY--
1837- Smallpox epidemics killed more Indians than battle. See eyewitness account of F.A. Chardon, a trader in North Dakota.
NO REALLY, THIS MAY BE THE SADDEST--
1851- Journal entry of the soldier who remove Yosemite Indians from their home as requested by Gold Rush miners. The soldier led the chief by a rope around his neck.
BADDEST--
1865- Juneteenth was sadder than it sounds.
ICKIEST--
1889- The Great Land Rush in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Narratives of Boomers and Sooners.
WHO KNEW?
1935--Description of working conditions building the Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam).
1977-89-The wreck of the Exxon Valdez. Who cleaned up the mess?
and NOW Silicon Valley and the movie industry shaping the West into what it is today.