To the Foot of the Rainbow: A Tale of Twenty-Five Hundred Miles of Wandering on Horseback Through the Southwest Enchanted Land

by Clyde Kluckhohn

Book by Kluckhohn, Clyde

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

Reviews

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is great – the presentation is fascinating – a young Princeton student in the 1920s on horseback riding through New Mexico, Arizona & Utah – commenting on his surroundings (both physical and cultural), interactions with people he meets on his journey, the history of the area as he understands it, and what to me is a fascinating look at the southwest in the 1920s… and how civilization is cutting in on the peace of the landscape.
But in the weirdest insult of all – some promoter/publisher got a hold of this work (probably because it was public domain) and used it to promote Lake Powell and the dam, Del Webb, Wahweep Marina & Hotel… which I essentially loathe… calling it an illustrated edition... so every 3-4 pages, there are pictures – not illuminating the text, but of people in the 1970s dining in the Wahweep restaurant, or boats moored in the marina, or houseboats cruising the lake. The publisher has written a preface in which he sings the praises of the dam and Del Webb (I nearly puked). He allows a scholar (Stephen C. Jett) space for an introduction (which rails against the dam and the lake) but not before belittling the scholar as “friend Stephen” in an attempt to marginalize the opinion that is clearly opposed to his own – what an asshole. I bought this used via ABE, so had no idea what I was getting – only wanted to read the Kluckhohn work after seeing it referenced in the Roberts book about Everett Ruess… The book was apparently reprinted later by the University of New Mexico and appears to be available on Amazon – but I’m a cheapskate and am not quite ready to spend another $20 to get “the right one”… But BEWARE! If you’re sensitive to Glen Canyon’s destruction and are not a fan of the “lake”, don’t get the 1980 edition published by Rio Grande Press out of Glorieta, New Mexico. Someday I may buy the UNM edition and have a little book-burning party where I ignite the photos of the dam, and Del Webb enterprises… seems wildly inappropriate for Del Webb to expropriate the Kluckhohn work for marketing and promotional purposes since only a couple of chapters are anywhere near the "lake"... ugly.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about one man's travels by horseback through the desert southwest at a time when motor vehicles and trains were becoming more common, horses less of a necessity, and the extreme isolation of that area was quickly being reduced. Kluckhohn went on to become a fairly well-known (for his time) anthropologist and ethnographer of tribes in that part of the country. While generally admiring of native Americans, he has the unfortunate tendency to talk about them sometimes in a condescending and patronizing manner -- something that we abhor today, but that was commonplace in that time.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great look at a time that none of us will ever know. A time when cars were not yet ubiquitous and a when men still roamed the land on horses. The modern day road trip or family vacation was replaced by a 2,500 mile ramble around the desert southwest. This is an amazing look, in the author's words, at the Rainbow Bridge when at the time only about 200 white men had gazed upon it.

[Kasey Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"After that my plans are quite indefinite. I have a vague idea and hope of getting as far west as Hopi in time for the famous Snake Dance. But my scheme in general is to deviate from my planned route whenever I hear of anything interesting to see or do."

"Back in civilization, it seems rather strange how little it took to make our days in that primitive world so full and so happy."