In the first book to focus on relations between Indians and emigrants on the overland trails, Michael L. Tate shows that such encounters were far more often characterized by cooperation than by conflict. Having combed hundreds of unpublished sources and Indian oral traditions, Tate finds Indians and Anglo-Americans continuously trading goods and news with each other, and Indians providing various forms of assistance to overlanders.

Tate admits that both sides normally followed their own best interests and ethical standards, which sometimes created distrust. But many acts of kindness by emigrants and by Indians can be attributed to simple human compassion.

Not until the mid-1850s did Plains tribes begin to see their independence and cultural traditions threatened by the flood of white travelers. As buffalo herds dwindled and more Indians died from diseases brought by emigrants, violent clashes between wagon trains and Indians became more frequent, and the first Anglo-Indian wars erupted on the plains. Yet, even in the 1860s, Tate finds, friendly encounters were still the rule.

Despite thousands of mutually beneficial exchanges between whites and Indians between 1840 and 1870, the image of Plains Indians as the overland pioneers' worst enemies prevailed in American popular culture. In explaining the persistence of that stereotype, Tate seeks to dispel one of the West's oldest cultural misunderstandings.

Books, art, and movies most often portray the frontier army in continuous conflict with Native Americans. In truth, the army spent only a small part of its frontier duty fighting Indians; as the main arm of the federal government in less-settled regions of the nation, the army performed a host of duties. "The Frontier Army in the Settlement of the West" examines the army's nonmartial contributions to western development. Dispelling timeworn stereotypes, Michael L. Tate shows that the army conducted explorations, compiled scientific and artistic records, built roads, aided overland travelers, and improved river transportation. Army posts offered nuclei for towns, and soldiers delivered federal mails, undertook agricultural experiments, and assembled weather records for forecasting.

The "multipurpose" army also provided telegraph service, extended relief to destitute civilians, and protected early national parks.

Michelle L. Tate, author of "healing happens," takes another step in the journey of healing and discovery with "Souls Unravel." Through these writings, Michelle shares experiences of the soul in a profound, personal, intimate nature. "When someone meets your eyes for the first time with absolute fear, not of who you are, but fear of no longer knowing who you are, it will do something to your soul. I do not know what that is. If the eyes that are meeting yours happen to be in the mirror, trust that you are on your way." - from Souls Unravel

Someone once threw me the line - healing is natural. Internal voice echoed and said that "healing" is not only natural, it is our business and our right. A seed already living within us, though sometimes deeply buried by the noise and experiences of our lives. For me, something unsettled stirred inside. I stir with it. Maybe it's worth digging for. Trauma of any flavor forms exceptional layer, which can separate us further from our own truth. How interesting should that be? These writings are shared with raw, honest, heartfelt style. Some in the form of story, some poetry - all carry a suggestion and also a hope. That we...remember. Empowerment is a magnificent thing - free to be received, if only we stop to pick it up. While the journey of our return may not always be easy, it is possible. And it is undeniably, worth the effort.

Between 1841 and 1866, more than 500,000 people followed trails to Oregon, California, and the Salt Lake Valley in one of the greatest mass migrations in American history. This collection of travelers' accounts of their journeys in the 1840s, the first volume in a new series of trail narratives, comprises excerpts from pioneer and missionary letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs--many previously unpublished--accompanied by biographical information and historical background.
Beginning with Father Pierre-Jean de Smet's letters relating his encounters with Plains Indians, and ending with an account of a Mormon gold miner's journey from California to Salt Lake City, these narratives tell varied and vivid stories. Some travelers fled hard times: religious persecution, the collapse of the agricultural economy, illness, or unpredictable weather. Others looked ahead, attracted by California gold, the verdant Willamette Valley of Oregon, or the prospect of converting Native people to Christianity. Although many welcomed the adventure and adjusted to the rigors of trail life, others complained in their accounts of difficulty adapting.
Remembrances of the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails have yielded some of the most iconic images in American history. This and forthcoming volumes in "The Great Medicine Road" series present the pioneer spirit of the original overlanders supported by the rich scholarship of the past century and a half.

The diaries and letters of women who braved the overland trails during the great nineteenth-century westward migration are treasured documents in the study of the American West. These eight firsthand accounts are among the best ever written. They were selected for the power with which they portray the hardship, adventure, and boundless love for friends and family that characterized the overland experience. Some were written with the skilled pens of educated women. Others bear the marks of crude cabin learning, with archaic and imaginative spelling and a simplicity of expression. All convey the profound effect the westward trek had on these women.For too long these diaries and letters were secreted away in attics and basements or collected dust on the shelves of manuscript collections across the country. Their publication gives us a fresh perspective on the pioneer experience.

The last thirty-five years of the nineteenth century were a time of dramatic change for the U.S. military, including the Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War; fighting the Indian Wars of 1865 through 1890; and shifting military personnel concerns and increased responsibilities, including law enforcement, protection of the National Parks, and border patrols. As the century's end neared, the army faced increasing retrenchment and increased advocacy for veteran's causes when the Civil War veteran population aged. This book illustrates the lives of the average soldier and his family, his involvement with the community, and his contributions and needs as a veteran. The late nineteenth century in American military history is not as well known as others. Highlights of the topics covered by Michael L. Tate in this volume include Reconstruction duty in the south Staffing the new military departments in the Trans-Mississippi West Relations between American Indians and soldiers, including Indian scouts, and Indian rights Promoting Western overland transportation, river improvements and communication Army Relief Work and Protecting the Fledgling National Parks Social Experiments: Serving with White, Black and Indian Soldiers Social Relations with Communities Near the Posts Veterans' Needs and Pensions for military families Relying on documents, diaries, newspaper accounts, and family histories, Tate also includes a timeline, a topically arranged bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

Until their final military defeat in the Red River War of 1874 and subsequent removal to western Oklahoma reservations, Indian peoples played a major role in all phases of southern Plains history, yet no systematic bibliographical tool has ever been compiled to identify the diverse published source materials about their cultures and histories. This bibliography, including 3,791 entries, not only lists the monographic and journal citations but also assesses the quality and reliability of most of these sources. Furthermore, it includes tribes ranging from the well-known Comanche, Kiowa, Caddo, and Wichita to the smaller, more obscure indigenous groups such as the Tonkawa, Karankawa, Jumano, Coahuiltecan, and Atakapa. The author also includes citations relevant to the Texas experiences of 'eastern removed tribes' such as the Cherokee, Alabama, Coushatta, Seminole, and Kickapoo.

While occupying the center of the continental United States, the state of Nebraska remains outside the comprehension of most Americans. Contrary to the popular image of a flat, treeless landscape from horizon to horizon, the state offers a variety of topography. It has long supported a mixed economy of agriculture, livestock production, and industry. In its historical development, it has embraced a strong frontier tradition alongside a modern fusion of sophisticated city life and state-of-the-art agribusiness. This bibliography--the first systematic bibliographical tool ever assembled for the state of Nebraska--provides a valuable aid for scholars and students wishing to do research on this little-understood state.

This bibliography includes monographs, journal articles, theses, and dissertations published prior to 1994. The sources are arranged into topical chapters, including subjects such as the Environment, Native Americans in Historical Times, the Frontier Period, Cultural Life, and Social Issues. Entries are fully annotated, including both descriptive and interpretive annotations, making the book useful to both academic and amateur researchers.