Customer Reviews

The Black Hills Journals of Colonel Richard Irving Dodge (American Exploration and Travel Series)

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Col. Richard Irving Dodge was chosen to lead the 1875 Black Hills expedition to confirm the finding of gold by Custer in his 1874 expedition (Custer was lied about by the media). Dodge is the epitome of virtue, gentleman and officer in leading this most telling tale from his personal journals.

Dodge is frank in his judgements of evidence which blows everything you have heard about history. IE, the Sioux espouse now the Black Hills are sacred. Red Robe, who is a Sioux, though informs Dodge personally that the Sioux (they took the land from the Crow) NEVER had a trail in the Black Hills. They did not like the Hills at all, because of severe storms, biting flies, lack of game and it rained all the time.

The only reason the Sioux were bargaining over the Hills was, because whites who were called Squaw men were telling the Sioux they could be sold for a fortune...all so they could get a huge cut of the Indian money.

The editor Wayne Kime does a very good job in staying out of the way and allowing Dodge's own words reveal historical facts instead of like most historians who decide their words are more important than the writer.

Kime does though fail in not including the hunting kill charts of game animals Dodge and his party harvested which is disappointing for historical reasons in knowing game numbers and what and where wildlife was traditionally found. He also fails in not noting what the rifles, shotguns and fishing equipment Dodge used.

This book though is a very interesting read, because of Dodge's frankness in all the fascinating daily life, characters, history, facts and adventure of an officer and a true gentleman. Our society needs to be exposed more to citizens like Dodge as our heroes in models for our lives.

I purchased this book because of my fascination with the Black Hills and early explorations, and the impact of those on the development of the West. I had conducted earlier research about Custer's 1874 trip through the Black Hills, and found that the journals not only supported but added to that information.
This was an easy read and certainly added to my Black Hills historical knowledge. ... I enjoyed it and it was surprisingly well written, with vivid descriptions of the areas they passed through and even feelings about others involved in the explorations. Used in conjunction with other books (Exploring with Custer, the 1874 Black Hills Expedition by Ernest Grafe and Paul Horsted), this journal not only illustrates the areas they traveled, but the life of soldiers and adventurers in the West and the richness of the Black Hills.