Customer Reviews

Frontier Illinois (History of the Trans-Appalachian Frontier)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Read this book when it was first released and have not been able to keep it out of my mind ever since, so I just finished reading it again. As a student of history, my greatest interest is in how the people lived and felt who shaped the events we call history. James F. Davis helped me to visualize how people lived and how they felt about the events they affected and that effected them. Especially impressive is his understanding of the mindsets of Yankees and Southerners and how this evolved as the State matured and grew. I give "Frontier Illinois" my highest unqualified recommendation.

I have just finished James Davis's book of frontier history and felt compelled to not only add my kudos to the growing body of discerning Amazon readers but also to set the record straight. The reader from Springfield, Illinois is clearly mistaken when he accuses Dr. Davis of "poor organization and editing." As pointed out in other reviews, the two figures are not inconsistent; one is national while the other is for Illinois. Davis's editing skills are superlative; that is abundantly apparent when one reads the finely-tuned notes to his DREAMS TO DUST: A DIARY OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH 1849-1850 (1989, University of Nebraska Press). Legitimate criticisms are always valid. Unfortunately, the conclusions of the reader from Springfield are neither.

Frontier Illinois is a welcome addition to anyone's regional history collection. Dr. Davis has done an admirable job of compiling statistics, anecdotes and insight into a quite readable and understandable work. For those who might consider acquainting themselves with Illinois' place in the development of the frontier, this fits the bill. However, unlike the reader from Springfield, I found no discrepancy between the numbers in dispute on pages 286-287. Clearly, the first listing of mortality(227 deaths) was in reference to the total number for the country from June 1st, 1849 to June 1st of 1850. The second number was listed as `seven murders in Illinois between June 1, 1849 and June 1, 1850'. Any error here is on the part of the reviewer from Springfield.

An excellent and thorough study of early Illinois. Dr. Davis uses a broad range of sources to provide a needed account of the state's frontier period.

Historian James E. Davis has once again contributed a scholarly, yet readable book on midwestern history. The Illinois frontier has been a favorite topic of researchers for decades, but few before Professor Davis have managed to provide such a succinct, fascinating account. After reading the comments from the Springfield, Illinois, reviewer, however, I went back to my copy of the book and I would like to take issue with the rather nasty sniping and at the same time help with his/her counting. Dr. Davis most certainly does NOT get his figures mixed up. The last part of the paragraph on page 287-88 states: "'Mortality Statistics of the Seventh Census of the UNITED STATES [emphasis mine], 1850,' classified deaths occurring from June 1, 1849, to June 1, 1850. The census revealed 227 murders during these twelve months. Illinois' population was 851,470, about 3.66 percent of the national total. Census figures revealed seven murders IN ILLINOIS [emphasis mine] between June 1, 1849 and June 1, 1850, or about 3.08 percent of the nation's murders." As my 12-year-old son pointed out, the first figure is national, while the second is for Illinois. I would suggest that if the Springfield reviewer has a personal vendetta with Dr. Davis, then he/she should at least come up with valid, scholarly criticisms, rather than rely on cheap theatrics in an anonymous review

Brimming with information? Yes, and at times the reading is bogged down with facts and figures. Still, it provides a comprehensive overview of frontier Illinois for the lay historian. I'd recommend it as a reference for those who need reminding, from time to time, of the significance of settlement in the Midwest. At the least, it was fascinating to read of the French period in the 1600s and 1700s, the Native American plight, and the differing perspectives of slavery, especially among British, French, Spanish and American settlers.

Lytton Strachey wrote that the most illuminating histories tend to "shoot a revealing searchlight into obscure recesses. . ." (Eminient Victorians). The history of the Illinois frontier ought to be one of the truly fascinating recesses of American history -- it is, after all, the scene of the confluence of multiple cultures and influence: the prehistoric Sac and Fox cultures arising from the rubble of Cahokia, the greatest North American pre-Columbian culture; the French and British Influence; the American settlement and finally the Mormon Sojourn. This ought to be a rich ground for historical writing.

The end result is highly disappointing. It informs but does not inspire. The writing is tedious and bogged down and seems to have no focus or theme. This is a standard academic text, calculated to put its reader to sleep. However, the Bibliography is a helpful springboard to other research on the subject.

A new book on the fascinating topic of Illinois, especially one as well-researched and readable as Davis', is always welcome. Davis brings together an impressive amount of new research to his topic, even if it is somewhat poorly digested.

Illinois, where north and south, east and west, slave and free clashed, would seem to be characterized by all sorts of cultural conflict. But Davis' thesis is that the Illinois frontier was remarkably peaceful, which it was, to an extent. But the murder rate is not the only measure of cultural conflict, and some topics which might clash with his thesis, such as the brutal kidnapping of free blacks, political violence, and the Mormon War, are somewhat glossed over.

Also, the book shows some signs of poor organization and editing. Davis tells us that the 1850 Census shows that there were 227 murders in Illinois in 1849-50...and then in the following sentence tells us that there were seven. (pp. 287-88). Which is it?

Still, the book contains a great deal of interesting information, and is written in an old-fashioned, folksy style that is quite appealing.