great book. very informative. Easy reading. All the info you will need to plan your trip.

This is more than a guidebook; it is an enticing narrative into a remote and spectacular wilderness land. Lee Mercer and Ralph Maughan lead you into the untraveled nooks and crannies of the Yellowstone Ecosystem with grace and respect for this most magnificant of landscapes. This is the best written, most informative, and most readable guidebook I've ever encountered. The photo quality makes the reader salivate for a chance to encounter this spectacular wilderness land in the first person. This book has something for everyone---from short day hikes to two week backpacking trips. Tips and suggstions abound, as the authors describe river crossings, grizzly country etiquette, trip planning, and off-trail segments in painstaking detail. The hikes in this guide book offers both the experienced and novice backcountry adventurer everything they've ever dreamed of, without the crowds found in Grand Teton National Park, Glacier, or the Wind Rivers. Once you start reading this, your first response is: I want to go hiking here! I read the book from cover to cover, and that is something I've never experienced before with any other guide book. This is a "must have" guide book to the last great place in the lower 48 states---big, rugged, wild,and utterly spectacular. Best of all, your solitude is assured. Buy a copy of this book, and prepare to be amazed!

A wonderful collection of early 20th century Native American interpretations of Western American History. Ottogary's fascinating career as a journalist is brought to life in this edition. This book is a must read for any one interested in the history of the American West.

Most of us non-native Americans know the names of a few American Indians mainly because of their accomplishments in battlefield. Sitting Bull, Geronimo and Crazy Horse, and Chief Joseph to name a few. There are a couple of other names that we know mainly because of a single event or an accomplishment. Sacajawea was known for guiding Lewis and Clark - and for her new dollar coin.

Chief Washakie of the Shoshones was a valiant warrior but he was also a leader and statesman who guided his people from the simpler times of the early 19th century into the 20th century. The Chief recognized early that his world was changing with the settling of his West buy european immigrants. He knew that, while he could not keep the settlers out, he could influence his people's destiny.

This book is a personal look at this unique character. It is written by decendants of Chief Washakie. While it lacks the detail of an academic treatise, it conveys the spirit and culture of another time and place.

One thing that repeatedly struck me is, in the scheme of things, this was so recent. Chief Washakie came to lead the Shoshones about 160 years ago. He died in 1900 at the age of 102.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was that Chief Washakie encountered so many of the characters that we identify with the settling of the West: Kit Carson, Scajawea, Jim Bridger and many others.

If you are interested in a historical treatment of Chief Washakies life with lots of dates and maps, this isn't it. If you are interested in a book with reverence and feeling for someone who is relatively unknown yet perhaps the greatest leader in the history of the American West, read this book.

This story is based on the life of Elijah Nicholas ("Nick") Wilson, for whom Wilson, Wyoming, is named. Unlike the review from HORN BOOK, I didn't think this book needed a map; a "regular" modern map of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Montana works well.

The plot does meander--but so did Wilson's life! If you are looking for a book about a child unsure of his place in the world, this is certainly a good one. Jimmy doesn't know if he wants to live with the white men or the Indians. (Read or see LITTLE BIG MAN for a humorous take on exactly the same theme but a different Indian Nation.)

The story is not sugar-coated. Bad things do happen (scaplpings, buffalo killing, etc.) and the author tells the tale realisticly. I have travelled greatly in this area and found that it brought back very fond memories--and a strong desire to summer in Wyoming and Idaho again!

Also good reading are JIMMY SPOON AND THE PONY EXPRESS and JENNY, A GIRL OF THE TETONS by the same author. The former is based on Wilson's further adventures and the latter is based on the life of the namesake of Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

My main problem with this book was that it didn't have a lot of page-turning material in it. Other than that, it was GREAT! It really showed how the Indians lived, and their views on different things. I found it a little annoying that he didn't miss his family as much as I thought he would. But still, I recommend this book to anyone interested in Indian culture but don't want to read through textbooks.

Jimmy Spoon is a ten year old boy living in Salt Lake City,Utah. He really wants a horse but his dad said he couldn't until he was 14. One day when Jimmy was playing in his backyard two Shashoni boys came up to him and played for a while. The next day they came back with a horse named Pinto Bean and they said,"If you come to our village, Jimmy, we will give you Pinto Bean." Jimmy thought, "Sure! Why not?" So he went with the boys to the village. Little did Jimmy know that the boys meant forever. After Jimmy found out he said,"Ok, I'll go with you for a while". Jimmy never would imagine all the adventures and fun that would come in the future.

See the review of the book by Hebard "Washakie: Chief of the Shoshones." Despite the different subtitles, this is the same book hardbound. The other book adds a fifteen page historical introduction. Otherwise, it is exactly the same, even to the page numbers.

This is the first published biography of Chief Washakie, the legendary leader of the Eastern Shoshone Indians, and is reprinted from Grace Raymond Hebard's original edition, "Washakie: An Account of Indian Resistance of the Covered Wagon and Union Pacific Railroad Invasions of their Territory " (1930). Hebard (1861-1936) was a professor of politcal economy at the University of Wyoming and became enamoured of Chief Washakie and the Shoshones during the early 1900s. Her book is basically an unstructured anecdotal read that jumps around in time and place.

I used her as a resource in my own book, "People of the Wind River: The Eastern Shoshones, 1825-1900," but only with great care and corroborating evidence. Hebard's sources were sons of Chief Washakie (including Dick, Charles, and George Washakie, all of whom were paid informants), the Reverend John Roberts (Episcopal priest on the Wind River Reservation from 1883-1948), Fincellius G. Burnett (Wind River agency farmer & ancestor of former Wyoming Senator Alan Simpson), and retired Indian agents and Army officers who had personal contact with Washakie. She also relied on some of the published annual reports of the Office of Indian Affairs (forerunner of the current Bureau of Indian Affairs).

That said, Hebard reveals family stories and legends about Washakie and often quotes verbatim from published government documents. Hers is a good introduction to the the famous chief and his people, but should be read with a cautionary eye. It is not a biography in the modern or scholarly sense, but functions more as remembrances of a cherished relative. Many of the events or actions attributed to Washakie by Hebard cannot be substantiated with other archival evidence and thus her work borders on hagiography. On the other hand, the very fact that such stories exist are testimony to the impact Chief Washakie had on those who knew him. He was a fascinating individual, leader, and statesperson during a difficult time of transition for the Eastern Shoshones.

The author of this book, Grace R. Hebard, was a professor and it shows. This is an awkward book to read. She hops around in space and time and that can be quite confusing to someone who doesn't have her familarity with the history of the region.

What the book lacks in structure, it more than makes up for with its compelling subject: Chief Washakie. I'm sure that few Americans outside of Wyoming have ever heard Chief Washakie's name, yet his accomplishments as a statesman, unifier and leader of his people is unequalled.

He led the Shoshone people through most of the 19th century, into the 20th century. He was a remarkable individual speaking English, French and Shoshone. His charismatic hold on his people only ended when he died in 1900 at the age of 102.

One thing that repeatedly struck me is, in the scheme of things, this was so recent. Another aspect that I enjoyed was that Chief Washakie encountered so many of the characters that we identify with the settling of the West: Kit Carson, Scajawea, Jim Bridger and many others.

The sensibilites of the times described in this book are not what we expect now, and the author brings contemporary (1930) biases to her interpretation. The updated introduction in this edition tries to alert the reader to some of the biases that influence Hebard's comments.

As difficult a read as this book is, I couldn't put it down. As a footnote, Chief Washakie will be memorialized in Statuary Hall the U.S. Capitol in the fall of 2000. He is one of two individuals chosen to represent the spirit of the State of Wyoming.