While the focus here is on one of our fur trade pioneers, David Jackson, the reader also gains insight as to the many economic and geopolitical strategies which went on between American and British fur companys. However, I must point out a few controversial issues. First of all, the author seems to portray two of the fur trade's icons as somewhat greedy, heartless and callous individuals: William Ashley for financial and economic gains and Jedediah Smith for exploration fame and glory. So be it. There is not enough space here for a debate. Secondly, the author is quite adamant in his view on the presence of alcohol during the first mountain rendezvous of 1825 while evidence refutes this. The only mention of alcohol in Ashley's diary of commodities during that first rendezvous is, according to Dale Morgan's scholarly work "The West of William Ashley", footnoted as future orders for the following year. In agreement with Morgan are other historians such as Fred Gowans ("Rocky Mountain Rendezvous"); Richard Clokey ("William Ashley: Enterprise and Politics in the Trans-Mississippi West"); Linda Hasselstrom ("Journal of a Mountain Man: James Clyman); and Jack Tykal ("Etienne Provost: Man of the Mountain") to name a few. I believe the author may be conjecturing on this issue. Thirdly, there is mention that Bridger floated down the Green River to taste the salt of an inland lake. Is he referring to, as one would suppose, the Great Salt Lake? Maybe I am reading this wrong, but how could he float down the Green, (which empties into the Colorado River), and then into Salt Lake? According to Bridger's biographer, J. Cecil Alter, Bridger went down the Bear River (and possibly by horse, due to the time of year) which does in fact empty into Salt Lake. Overall a good book with a stellar bibliography.

This collection is a good primer for someone interested in the folklore of the Sioux Indians. They are a fascinating people and these tales hold great interest. There is a charm that accompanies these stories that will delight readers. One comes to understand and appreciate the Sioux love for nature and animals. These legends will inspire and awe readers. Luther Standing Bear does a great job of capturing the oral pulse of these stories. I was enamored of these stories when I read them as a teenager and they still hit the mark all these years later.

Looking for a morning hike, a day hike, or a longer trek involving back country Teton camping? This is the book to buy.

The trail descriptions and maps are detailed and accurate. Both authors are intimately familiar with the Tetons and have had help from NPS staff. The labeled line drawings of various Teton scenery, penned by various National Park rangers, identify specific peaks, ridges, and passes from different vantage points.

Teton Trails is readily available at many shops in the Tetons area, but I recommend buying a copy now and enjoying some vicarious hiking. Planning vacation hikes can be almost as much fun as the hikes themselves. It is wise to have backup hiking routes, as snow can shut-in some higher passes well into midsummer in years of heavy winter snowfall. Talk to the rangers when you first arrive at the Grand Tetons about your hiking plans.

Duffy and Wile include a overview of the Grand Teton National Park, the hiking and camping guidelines, the geology, the varied habitats, and some discussion about bears. A final section, titled Flora and Fauna, provides checklists of key trees, shrubs, flowers, mammals, and birds.

The authors recommend purchasing topographic maps covering your selected trails. It is a good idea and map reading and orienteering always add an enjoyable dimension to mountain hiking. It's amazing how difficult it can be to cross a few closely spaced contour lines.

For those that have a long familiarity with the Tetons, this new publication replaces the earlier guidebook of the same title by Bryan Harry that was widely used in the 1960s thru the 1980s. For anyone interested in off trail hiking (especially the northern canyons in the park) or Teton mountaineering, I highly recommend A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range , third edition, by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson.

The book Case Of the Missing Cutthroat is the worst book I have ever read. There is no point in the story. me and my friends joke about suffering from the Jean Craighead George disease. By the way don't read this book.

Originally titled HOOK A FISH, CATCH A MOUNTAIN, this is another Eco-Mystery from children's greatest nature writer, Jean Craighead George, author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. However, this book never quite gets to level of those classics. The story concerns Spinner, a teenager who is taken on a fishing trip against her will. After she catches a huge, nearly extinct cutthroat troat, she ends up going on a wild adventure through the woods to solve the mystery. I never could get really into the book, as Spinner is not a very likeable character for most of the story and some of it is hard to understand. But great descriptions--like an exciting lightning storm on the side of a cliff to a dangerous grizzly bear attack--come to the rescue. Any young ecologist or naturalist will want to read this story. Don't forget the other Eco-Mysteries--WHO REALLY KILLED COCK ROBIN?, about a boy who must solve the mystery of the death of his town's feathered mascot; THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO, which concerns a girl who must track down a majestic alligator in the Florida Everglades; and THE FIRE-BUG CONNECTION. Also, Ms. George's other eighty or so novels should be more rewarding than THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS.

When Spinner and her dad go fishing for the weekend her dad promises her if she caught a whopper he would throw it back,but when she catches the family prize cutthroat trout her father keeps him. These kinds of fish are very rare in that part of the river so Spinner and her brave cousin Al set off to solve "The Case of the Missing Cutthroats"!

I purchased two guides for my trip to Yellowstone: this one and Moon Publications. I'm glad I did. Moon offered more in the way of maps and color photos. This book was a much more entertaining read, contained much information about the history of early settlers, interesting wildlife information, and the formation of features within Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. If I had to buy one guide it would have to be this one: There are tons of heplful and free information available from the park service if you want lots of colorful photos. Pick up the free stuff and bring along this book for a deeper study of the area.

A personal and detailed account of Yellowstone and Grant Teton National Parks that not only describes the beautiful scenery and where to find the wildlife, but also informs you how this area evolved thousands of years ago. The writer also offers a distance and difficulty rating of each of the trails listed. While the trail descriptions are brief, we weren't concerned since it was noted in the book that these are some of the more popular and senic trails that the park has to offer, though not a comprehensive listing by any means. For that I would reccommend "Hiking the Yellowstone Back Country" as a supplement to this guide. This book will give any first time visitor a great idea what Yellowstone, Grand Teton and the town of Jackson has to offer!

It's obvious that the writer has spent considerable time in this part of the country. We hiked three trails that the book recommended. The directions to the trails, the descriptions and the level of difficulty were highly accurate. Best of all, we found dozens of insider tips. For instance: a certain upscale restaurant offers 20% off the price of your meal between 6-6:30. We learned the best place in the park for glimpsing a grizzly bear. The book told us where to find the cheapest bike rentals. You'll certainly find all the other information; where to stay, what to see, maps and other services. But what we found most helpful were all the tips that can only come from someone who actually lives in this area.

After reading Fools Crow: Wisdom and Power (which is one of my all time favorite books!), I was naturally drawn to reading the biography of Fools Crow. Alas, I found the book a bit tedious and disappointing. I am sure Thomas Mails wrote an accurate account, but his style and the points he emphasizes make for a plodding read.

Despite these troubles, I found the book to be informative of life on the 20th century Pine Ridge Reservation. The problems outlined in this book are not going away, and if this book raises concerns about what must be done to correct these terrible issues it has done a great service.

This book is also very good in regards to giving a history of the Sioux since the Great Sioux War of 1876. So often the history of this great nation is placed in the background to the white culture making it difficult to see with any degree of accuracy. This book is from the vantage point of a Sioux elder and tells the sad tale of an oppressed people.

This is the story of Frank Foolscrow: The Ceremonial chief of the Teton Sioux:

I very much enjoyed the story of the politics on the reservation.

I do have several problems with this book.

1. The story was recorded by Thomas E. Mails a Lutheran, and I found it disconcerting that in some places the Term "God" is used, and in others the Sioux term "Wakan Tanka" is used.

2. On page 100 Mr. Mails equates the tobacco ties as a rosary. The Tobacco ties had nothing with a rosary. They were simply offerings to his 405 helpers.

3. On page 107 Mr. Mails implies that Frank Foolscrow was a Catholic. It is clear that he retained his spirituality.

4. I am VERY disturbed by what he calls "The Kettle Dance". I am not from that culture, and do not know what it represents to the people. So I have no right to judge it.

5. The colors associated with the directions are wrong. I don't know if Mr. Mails got this wrong, or Mr. Foolscrow believed this information was too sacred to share. The accurate colors for the Sioux medicine wheel is.

Black in the West and represents Earth. White in the North and represents Air. Red in the East and represents Fire. Yellow in the South and represents Water Green in the Center and represents Spirit

You can see the accurate layout of the Sioux medicine wheel on the cover of "Native Wisdom" by Ed McGaa.

Questions or comments. E-Mail me. Two Bears

Wah doh Ogedoda

This book is the counterpoint to Fools Crow: Wisdom and Power. It is more a retelling of his life story, there is less description of his worldview which is more the focus of Wisdom and Power. One feels reading this that he could have gone on and on about the politics at the reservation, he doesn't and for me seeing how he expresses his views about this situation while keeping a gentle ad moderate tone is quite revealing of his personality. There is a fascinating account of his exerience at Bear Butte, which is the highlight of the book.

This CD-ROM was geared towards a person with untermediate experience with horses. Although the disk has wonderful information about choosing the correct fence and caring for wounds, it had little to no information on daily maintenance. For instance, the disk explains that for every 10 degrees below freezing you must increase feed 10% but it gives no guidelines for how much feed or what kind of feed one should use. It said little about routine vet work such as floating teeth and vaccinations. I feel it would also have been nice had it contained advice about properly fitting tack. This CD is not for beginners and the information it contains can be found in many horsecare manuals but since it is a CD the information was easily accesible.

Frommer's Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks good overall guide to the area. It's descriptions of the lodging choices and the dining descriptions were very good although it omitted the Geyser Grill in the Old Faithful area. The descriptions of activities in GT were very good, but the descriptions of activities in YNP were lacking. There were some omissions: the Antelope Creek Drainage area and the Brink of the Upper/Lower Falls trails. Some felt the Norris Geyser Basin highly overrated as was the West Thumb Geyser Basin and Osprey Falls. This book is a great starting point but by no means should it be the only book you have. It's perfect for making your dining and lodging choices but suffers in adequately describing activities (for that check out 'An Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks' by Lisa Gollin Evans).

This book is fine for beginner climbers who want to hike the easiest and best known trails in the area.

Stone gives a brief (maybe too brief) description of over 40 hikes and good directions on how to get to each trailhead.

For those of you looking for longer, less well known, and more challenging hikes, I would recommend Hiking Grand Teton National Park by Bill Schneider. This book lists more hikes (easy, moderate, and hard) and gives more complete descriptions on what to expect on each hike.