Seven Trails West

by Arthur King Peters

Seven Trails West tells many stories in one; the epic tale of determined men and women (some of them famous trailbreakers, some little known); the lures that attracted these pragmatic dreamers to the West; and the ordeals and disappointments they overcame along the way. Richly illustrated with archival photos, paintings, maps, and documents, this exhilarating book offers the general reader a vivid overview of the western trail network that bound an immature nation together and provided an armature for later development. By turns an inspiring and disturbing account, Seven Trails West explores the virtues and vices, the triumphs and failures of the greatest voluntary mass migration in history. The critical yet still little-known role played by the trails in this migration is vital for understanding how America came to be.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a trip out West. It covers:
1.) The Lewis and Clark Expedition
2.) Mountain Men and the Fur Trade
3.) The Santa Fe Trail
4.) The Oregon-California Trail
5.) The Mormon Trail
6.) The Pony Express
7.) The First Continental Telegraph and Railroad

Our family has traveled on portions of each.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that I read this book some number of years ago. When I picked it up at the library it seemed familiar and grew more so as I read along. So I don't the feeling of fresh enthusiasm in writing this review that the book deserves.

It's a well-written, enjoyable story of seven of the most traveled roads in America. Before there were roads. Or, at least, not roads going from Saint Joseph to Sacramento! Excellent travel reading.

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great historical book it had great pictures and lots of interesting facts.