Promise: Bozeman's Trail to Destiny [Paperback]

Serle Chapman (Author), Rick Ingoldsby (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

Promise: Bozeman’s Trail to Destiny examines if the Bozeman Trail - that last great western trail through Wyoming and Montana that initiated the "Indian Wars" on the Northern Plains - was actually a route of invasion that lead to cultural devastation, displacement, physical and spiritual oppression; or whether the trail was a passage through the wilderness that lead to settlement, individual liberty, prosperity, territorial recognition and statehood. To help answer those questions, author Serle Chapman employs his extraordinary artistic ability with both pen and camera, writing sections from the opposing perspectives of an emigrant woman, and a young Cheyenne warrior, incorporating the prose, native language, and expressions of the day. Chapman’s Cheyenne account of the infamous "Fetterman Massacre" is believed to be the definitive Native American interpretation of that engagement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chapman’s imaginatively organized volumes deepen our understanding and appreciation of rich legacy of First Americans, emphasized by his stunning photography." -- The National Geographic Society

"One of America’s fifty most influential writers." -- The Associated Press

"Promise - a beautiful book and special book. Chapman’s photography is first rate, and his writing is nearly as stunning." -- Wild West magazine

"Serle Chapman should be thanked for writing and photographing this beautifully crafted book that’s at once both moving and informative" -- PBS

"Vivid descriptions, exquisite photographs, and superb language command. Serle Chapman picked me up, opened my eyes and challenged my thinking." -- Wyoming Library Roundup

From the Publisher

What better way to tell this story than for a writer and photographer of Serle Chapman's caliber to join with the descendents of those who traveled and fought on the Bozeman Trail. Chief Alfred Red Cloud, a great-grandson of Chief Red Cloud, for the first time in publication, presents the Red Cloud family’s oral history of "Red Cloud’s War" to close the Bozeman Trail. "Serle Chapman is one of the few who really knows the history of Chief Red Cloud and I pay tribute to him and this work," says Chief Alfred Red Cloud. Promise: Bozeman’s Trail to Destiny has already been endorsed by the US government’s National Historic Trails Interpretive Center: "Chapman’s stunning photographs and gripping prose bring a fresh, new perspective on the Bozeman Trail that will challenge latter-day historians and history buffs to view the Trail with a new set of eyes – one that tells the story from all points of view," believes Jude Carino, director of the NHTIC.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Bear Print (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0952860783
• ISBN-13: 978-0952860785
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,693,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A history of conflicts between whites and Native Americans, February 8, 2005

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Promise: Bozeman's Trail to Destiny (Paperback)

Extensively illustrated with vintage black-and-white and full-color photographs on virtually every page, Promise: Bozeman's Trail To Destiny is a thorough history of conflicts between whites and Native Americans along the historic Bozeman Trail. Rich in narrative detail, and drawing on primary sources such as interviews and oral history as well as secondary sources, Promise strives to present as accurate a picture as possible of what daily life and the deadly struggles were truly like. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Promise is a welcome and much-needed, in-depth contribution to Native American history shelves.