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Eldorado - The California Gold Rush by Dale L. Walker - With the exception of the call to arms in the North and South in 1861, no moment of nineteenth-century America was more electrifying than the shout, "GOLD ON THE AMERICAN RIVER!" first heard in San Francisco in the spring of 1848. Within a year, tens of thousands of dreamers from around the world were making their way to the vast territory on the Pacific. All routes to San Francisco, gateway to the goldfields, were lengthy---six months on average---arduous, and dangerous: over land from the Missouri frontier and across the Rockies and Sierra Nevada; through the fever jungles of Panama to the Pacific; or 15,000 sea miles around Cape Horn.

Stagecoach - Wells Fargo and the American West by Philip L. Fradkin - Sweeping in scope, as revealing of an era as it is of a company, Stagecoach is the epic story of Wells Fargo and the American West, by award-winning writer Philip L. Fradkin. The trail of Wells Fargo runs through nearly every imaginable landscape and icon of frontier folklore: the California Gold Rush, the Pony Express , the transcontinental railroad, the Civil and Indian Wars. From the Great Plains to the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, the company's operations embraced almost all social, cultural, and economic activities west of the Mississippi, following one of the greatest migrations in American history. Fortune seekers arriving in California after the discovery of gold in 1849 couldn't bring the necessities of home with them. So, Wells Fargo express offices began providing basic services such as the exchange of gold dust for coin, short-term deposits and loans, and reliable delivery and receipt of letters, money, and goods to and from distant places. New, hardback.

The American West by Dee Brown - As the railroads open up the American West to settlers in the last half of the 19th century, the Plains Indians made their final stand and cattle ranches spread from Texas to Montana. Dee Brown here illuminates the struggle between these three groups as they fought for a place in this new landscape. Hardback

Rhyolite - The True Story of a Ghost Town by David Frampton and Diane Siebert - Long ago, in a proud desert town named Rhyolite, businesses thrived and children played and people had dreams that were big and grand. But Rhyolite survived only a few years before those dreams were dashed and the desert reclaimed the town. Now the streets are populated by laughing coyotes and the ghosts of happier times. What happened to this once-prosperous place? In fluent, compelling verse, this unusual and witty picture book tells the story of the rise and fall of a real-life Nevada town built near the site of a famous 1904 gold strike. Dramatic woodcuts by David Frampton bring this haunting tale of a ghost town stunningly to life.

It Happened In Northern California by Erin H. Turner - In It Happened in Northern California, author Erin H. Turner takes you through the history of Northern California by recreating thirty episodes that took place there. You'll meet such lively and fascinating characters as Emperor Norton, the eccentric who dressed in imperial regalia and invented and used his own personal currency; Patty Reed, a young survivor from the Donner Party; Ishi, the last surviving member of the Yahi tribe; Showshoe Thompson, a unique mailman; and Christo, an artist whose project literally covered most of Northern California's central valley.

Lure, Lore and Legends of the Moreno Valley, New Mexico by the Moreno Valley Writers Guild - The Moreno Valley in northeast New Mexico is nestled between the state's two highest peaks and is rich in history with gold boom towns, outlaws, and Indian lore. This book, written by the members of the Moreno Valley Writers Guild was produced when information on the valley was scarce. Written locally by residents of the Moreno Valley, Lure, Lore and Legends of the Moreno Valley, is the only published history work on the Angel Fire/Eagle Nest/Black Lake area. The book also includes chapters on Elizabethtown, the Colfax County War, the Vietnam Memorial, and the geology of the area. Research for this history was done through interviews with long-time valley residents as well as from established historical accounts, and many residents also loaned family photos to the endeavor.

Ghost Towns of the Colorado Rockies by Robert L. Brown - This book features information and travel directions for sixty of Colorado's ghost towns and mining camps. There is an informal history of each town as well as an early and a contemporary photograph to aid in site identification. Includes: Maps, directions, histories and "then and now" photographs. 6x9, paperback, 136 photographs, map, 401 pages, index.

Colorado Ghost Towns - Past & Present by Robert L. Brown - History, nostalgia, and detailed travel directions combine to provide background for exploring sixty-five of Colorado's ghost towns and mining camps. Brown pairs early and contemporary photographs of many towns, as he tells of the people and places from the 1800s. 6x9, paperback, 140 photographs, map, 322 pages.

Buffalo Bill Cody - The Man Behind the Legend by Robert A. Carter - Who was the real Buffalo Bill? This engrossing biography brings to thrilling life the frontier hero who is responsible for creating the lasting legend of the Wild West. Author Robert Carter takes us back to the Great Plains, where William "Buffalo Bill" Cody emerges in his many incarnations: as a buffalo hunter, a Civil War cavalry scout, an Indian fighter, a Pony Express rider, until, finally, he conceives of the show that made him famous throughout the world—the Wild West Exhibitions. In Buffalo Bill Cody, the first full biography in over thirty years, we are given an intimate glimpse into the exhilarating life of this one-of-a-kind frontiersman and enormously popular showman, from his famous exploits to the lesser-known dramas surrounding his life. We gain fresh insights about many of the mysteries of Buffalo Bill's life, including whether he indeed killed Yellow Hand the "first scalp for Custer." Softback.

Annie Oakley: Sharpshooter of the Wild West by Lucy Lethbridge - Annie was just seven years old when her mother sent her away to work. They were just too poor to keep her at home. But this little girl had a very special talent. She could shoot better than anyone. She could even shoot the cork off a bottle. By fourteen she was keeping her family alive. But who could have guessed that Annie would become internationally famous, travel the world with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, make friends with Chief Sitting Bull, even perform before Queen Victoria herself! For no one could out shoot Annie Oakley and her gun. Softback.

Outlaw Tales of Utah by Michael Rutter - Butch Cassidy paid a farmer's mortgage then robbed the banker to get the money back. The Sundance Kid gained a reputation as a gunfighter--without firing a shot. Bible-reading wife and mother Elizabeth Basset stole cattle at night from neighboring ranches. Former slave-turned-rustler Dart Isom saved the life of the sheriff who arrested him--and was set free.

Meet the Wild Bunch, a notorious group of rustlers, bandits, and wannabe outlaws who tore up the Wild West in the late 1800s then sought refuge between heists hanging out and hiding out in Utah. Outlaw Tales of Utah uncovers their astonishing true stories, as well as those of equally raucous but lesser-known outlaws. Read all about these fearless renegades in this riveting collection. Softback.

Far from Home by Lillian Schlissel, Byrd Gibbens, and Elizabeth Hampsten

Far from Home focuses on three frontier families--the Malicks in the Oregon Territory, the Browns in Colorado and New Mexico, and the Martin/Neher families in North Dakota. Each of the narratives, drawn from family letters and diaries from 1848 to 1909, realistically portrays how these families tested the frontier and were tested by it. Far from Home addresses the effects of the harsh frontier on the entire family unit. Softback.

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