Promise: Bozeman's Trail to Destiny

by Serle L. Chapman

Bozeman’s Trail to Destiny examines if the Bozeman Trail - that last great western trail through Wyoming and Montana that initiated the "Indian Wars" on the Northern Plains - was actually a route of invasion that lead to cultural devastation, displacement, physical and spiritual oppression; or whether the trail was a passage through the wilderness that lead to settlement, individual liberty, prosperity, territorial recognition and statehood. To help answer those questions, author Serle Chapman employs his extraordinary artistic ability with both pen and camera, writing sections from the opposing perspectives of an emigrant woman, and a young Cheyenne warrior, incorporating the prose, native language, and expressions of the day. Chapman’s Cheyenne account of the infamous "Fetterman Massacre" is believed to be the definitive Native American interpretation of that engagement.

214 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2004

Reviews

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was fascinating. told the story from more that just one side and helped me to understand how messy history really is

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your mama's history book. Serle Chapman dominates a room with his tall, good looks and black hair to his waist, just as he dominates Wyoming history with his deep look into the other side of many Indian "massacres" along the Bozeman Trail. You will hear the voice of present-day Native Americans, descendants of Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, HOly Bull, Little Wolf, Sharp Nose, Red Shirt, Tall Bull, and Medicine Crow, with much information never before published. This book was the winner in book category for the Wyoming State Historical Society. This book should be required reading in our high schools.