Customer Reviews

Historical Atlas of the American West

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If you are curious about the events that took place during the development and history of the west, this book is for you. If you are looking for a general reference book on the west, this is it. The book has a map and a one-page description for that particular topic. The topics include flora and fauna, geology, railroad expansion routes, emigrant trails, indian battles and exploration. Topics are not limited to 19th century history. Some maps and information are available for World War 2 POW camps and military installations.

This is a wonderful book. With all my summer road trips around the West, I don't know how I got along without it but from now on it will always be in arms reach. Almost all the maps are simple line maps just showing national and state boundaries so that for instance the map of WWII Japanese-American relocation camps is the sparse line map with dots sprinkled around the West marking the location of the camps. On the facing page is a concise history of the subject of the preceding map. There are obvious subjects like the Oregon Trail, and more obscure subjects like the distribution of hog farms. My favorite is a map showing the dispersion northward of horses left behind by Spanish explorers and that were to become the favored mode of transportation of the Plains Indians. I have a couple of similar books just for California but to my knowledge this is the only such map book for the American West.

Initially I was disappointed as detailed maps of counties and territories of the American West are not to be found in this book. That said though, maps such as the expansion of the railroad, migratory patterns of buffalo, discoveries of ore, etc. all more than make up for what I was originally looking for.

I see that I received my copy from the U of Ok back on July 3, 1989. Don't know how many times since then I have resorted to the volume to settle one question or another. This historical atlas covers the American West from "prehistoric times to the present". At these lower prices today it is a steal (I had to pay $32.45 for mine).

This atlas defines the American West as 17 states "from the one-hundredth meridian westward (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho California, Oregon, and Washington." A total of 78 maps help the reader in search of answers. With several of these maps having special or 'unique views'.

If a reader is searching for an aid in their western reading, then look no further. Not an atlas for individual states but an excellent historical atlas for an overview of the entire American West.

After nearly 21 years of owning it (has it really been that long, seems like yesterday!) I have never tired of it or its usefulness.

Best in western reading, book-a-roos.

Semper Fi.