Customer Reviews

THE OREGON TRAIL SKETCHES OF PRAIRIE AND ROCKY - MOUNTAIN LIFE

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a young college student, Francis Parkman, the later noted historian of the early West, goes to the land of the Lakotas and experiences their life. This is a personal history of the travels of the author through the lands of the Lakota before the great American westward expansion. Tales of Indian life and their "wars" with each other. Also tells first hand of the author's maturation in this environment. Should be required reading for any "lover of the wild west" because "This Was The It Was".

There are a great many things about Native American life on the plains that I did not realize before reading this narrative. The level of warfare for instance. I wonder if this was heightend at that time related to population pressures from the east ( other tribes and whites ) Anyway, the writer tells an amazing tale of risk and daring while describing the lives of the natives- and we find out some things about the attitudes of the newcomers also. Keeps moving along-- no slow spots.

Very enjoyable! You can't beat a first person report of traveling through Indian territory! The descriptions of the perils of the journey plus first hand experiences in dealing with the native population make you feel as if you are there, sitting in the teepee, watching as an Indian woman kills and cooks a puppy because you are an honored guest. Great descriptive writing; blood, guts, wildflowers, horses, sunsets, and the beautiful, healthy forms of our Native Americans while they were still free.

if you do not bring modern prejudgement to the read and take it for what it is: An 1840s first person account of a horse back trip to the Rockys and back with a month or so spent living with the then untamed Ogallals, you should enjoy this read as much as i did. You get the sense that the author is not some distant, stuck up historical figure but rather that he is alive and speaking and joking directly with the reader across a 160 some year chasm. A little reading on the Francis Parkman will enhance the experience.

Since getting a Kindle for Christmas, I can't stop reading this sort of thing! Extremely well-written account of life on the plains and mountains among the Dakotas (named "Sioux" by the French, we learn), mountain men, and an amazing assortment of characters, all described in intricate detail. I've rarely read a book, from any era, which conjures images as vivid as this one does. This account is a "can't put it down" narrative. Learned a lot of interesting annecdotes. For example, Parkman describes a scene of mourning in which the Indians, in their lamentations, sound like they are saying "hallelujah," which apparently, along with other "coincidences," lead the founders of the Mormon theology to conceive the "absurd notion" that the Indians were descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel. This is a fascinating, contemporaneous comment on the then-early Mormon church. Having read other accounts of life on the frontier and of the trappers/mountain men, I was also interested to read of the same locations, incidents and battles, told from different perspectives, but clearly referencing the same events, locations and people. True, verified history, unvarnished as it would be by later historians.

If you like this genre, be sure to read William F. Drannan's "31 Years on the Plains and in the Mountains." Another barn burner of a narrative filled with harrowing and touching scenes from one end of the country to the other, described by a scout raised as a step-son by Kit Carson.

This is an interesting book. It gives insight into what the plains were like prior to the increased hostility between the white-man and the Indians. I reccommend it to anyone interested in western history.

I chose this book to read on my Kindle because it was free. But I became pulled into the story of Frances Parkmans journey to meet Indians on his "summer vacation".

His journals give a very detailed picture of what like was like on the frontier in the early and mid 1800's. His adventures were quite amazing, but the best thing about the book is that all his adventures are true. After reading this book do a google look up on Parkman and you will find what is written in history is exactly the way he portrays himself in his journal. Very interesting, a excellent read for those who love American history and history of American Indians.Parkmans "english" is sometimes hard to understand but it will give you a good laugh.

This was a very good read and very educational as to the experience of people that were there. I'm not a historian but I found this to be informative and entertaining. The pace was perfect and kept things moving nicely. Highly recommended.

This is a great book to read to get a feel of what the daily life on the Oragon trail was like for some travelers. It shows how people Native Americans and immigrants interacted at that time. It is a great lesson on how people fed, organized, entertained, protected, and traveled on the Trail.

I love to read about the daily living of people in history. I don't know what it is that drags me to it every single time. I liked this story alot.