From: sbrock@teal.csn.org (Steve Brock)
Subject: Reviews of new books on the West.
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 02:51:48 GMT

Here are reviews of several new books on the West:

THIS OLE DROUGHT AIN'T BROKE US YET (BUT WE'RE ALL BENT PRETTY
BAD): Stories of the American West by Jim Garry.  Orion Books, 201
E. 50th St., N.Y., NY  10022.  A volume in the "Library of the
American West" series.  Index.  240 pp., $18.00 cloth.  0-517-
58814-5

                             REVIEW

     As one can tell from the title, this book is high on cowboy
humor.  Garry's ramblings help put the West into a context where
the elements of a wide-open land mingle with the loneliness that
one can feel as they ride the range.  In order to cope, one tells
stories.  Whether they are factual is determined by gullibility. 
Those with enough will believe every word.
     Here are tales of life on a ranch, ghost stories, grasshopper
and tax collector invasions, as well as a meeting with Butch
Cassidy.  Each tale has a moral of a sort, and Garry doesn't mind
at all taking his own good time to get there.  Neither do I.




UNCOMMON MEN AND THE COLORADO PRAIRIE by Nell Brown Propst.  Caxton
Printers, Ltd., 312 Main Street, Caldwell, ID  83605.  Illustrated,
index, maps.  304 pp., $14.95 paper.  0-87004-347-1

                             REVIEW

     To me, the Colorado prairie is where I end up many times
during the spring, chasing thunderstorms and tornadoes.  Several
times, my family and I have ended up seeking shelter from hail
under an overhang in Fort Morgan, Brighton, Sells, Nunn, Cheyenne
Wells or another Colorado prairie town.
     But who lived here when these towns were just being built? 
Propst details the lives of the famous, who are commemorated by
landmarks such as Meeker Park and Greely, and those not as
notorious but still with an unusual story.
     The book has five parts: The Wilderness Years; The Shadow
Casters; Skilleteffort; The Wonderful, The Wild, The Weird; and
Giants.  My favorite is the story of William Bent bringing
irrigation to the plains, with Nathan Meeker insisting on the use
of the appropriation doctrine (first in time, first in right).
     Propst has done her research well.  Included with the book is
a 20 page supplement of source notes.  But Nell, while all these
men were running around the Colorado plains, where were the women?







A ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS: YULETIDE STORIES OF THE WEST by John
Monnett.  Pruett Publishing Company, 2928 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 
80301.  Illustrated, index, bibliography.  125 pp., $12.95 paper. 
0-87108-830-4

                             REVIEW

     Monnett, a history professor at the Metropolitan State College
of Denver, spins the yarn of Christmas past in this reissue of the
1987 original.  From the early 1800s to the early 1900s, here are
stories about facing the odds and overcoming them, who are
determined to "keep the holiday, no matter what."
     All these stories are not set strictly in the Rocky Mountains,
but they still evoke the sense of togetherness and comfort so
important to "making the Yuletide bright."
     The nineteen stories in this book are perfect for reading at
bedtime, and the book is most appropriate for giving before
Christmas.  Read a story, open an advent calendar door, and blow
out the candle as you say "Looks like snow."





THE SANTA FE TRAIL: YESTERDAY AND TODAY by William E. Hill.  Caxton
Printers, Ltd., 312 Main Street, Caldwell, ID  83605.  Illustrated,
index, maps.  232 pp., $12.95 paper.  0-87004-334-4

                             REVIEW

     Looking at Hill's biography, I am reminded of a certain
commercial for salsa.  One of the actors says, "This stuff's made
in New York City!"  Well, this history of the Santa Fe Trail is
from New York state.  Still, Hill has produced a respectable work,
with only a trace of a New York accent.
     This book is best described as an almanac.  Everything is
compartmentalized: Part I details significant historical dates,
which are grouped into blocks and summarized; Part II is a
compendium of reproductions of/from maps, guides, and diaries; Part
III is a "pictorial journey;" and Parts IV and V outline museums
and displays and recommended readings for further research.
     While this book is a handy reference, Hill neglects to mention
my favorite stretch of the Santa Fe Trail - the one in the city of
Santa Fe that leads from the La Fonda Hotel across the Plaza to the
Inn of the Anasazi restaurant.

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