American Heritage History of the Great West

by David Lavender

The story of America's westward movement is at heart the story of men and women of all origins and beliefs who helped shape the character of a nation. They lived a stirring epic, the telling of which grows ever more fascinating it becomes ever more remote. It has become a romance, a drama of men and women against the forces of a stupendous land and nameless terrors. Pain and violence tormented whites and Indians alike. Here, from award-winning historian David Lavender, is their enduring story.

Genres: History, American History, Westerns, Nonfiction

690 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

David Sievert Lavender was a well-known historian of the Western United States, nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, who is best remembered by many for his River Runners of the Grand Canyon.

Lavender spent most of his life in Ojai, California. An articulate and deeply knowledgeable speaker on the political and social history of the American West, he often spoke at the annual Telluride Film Festival.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family has had this book for a very long time. I suspect that my parents bought it near when it came out in the mid-sixties because I always remember the book being on our bookshelf in the living room along with several others in the American Heritage series. For those not familiar with them, the American Heritage series are large hardcover books with copious illustrations, maps and photographs along with text on the given subject. They are what I would call a coffee table book. As a boy I looked at this book many, many times over the years but I don’t remember actually reading much other than the captions on the many photographs, maps and paintings that adorn the book.

Fast forward to the end of 2014. My father had just passed away and I was nosing around my parents house looking through all of their books. I remembered this series of books and asked my mom if she still had them. She did. I took the whole set home with me since they held lots of memories for me and they are good books. The one that held the most interest for me at the time was this volume, which was written by one of my favorite authors, David Lavender. I started it soon after I returned but then I put the book down for over a year and read other things. I finally came back to finish it over the last few weeks.

This is not an in-depth history of any one aspect of the settling of the West. It spans a one hundred fifty year period from the 1760’s through the turn of the twentieth century. That is a lot of ground to cover and Lavender does a good job giving the reader an overview of the events. If you are looking for a detailed history of the settling of the trans-Appalachian region, the Santa Fe Trail, the various gold strikes or the Indian Wars, this is not your book. If you are looking for a highly readable general history of the period then this book is for you. It is an excellent starter book for people interested in the period.

As I have previously mentioned, David Lavender is one of my favorite authors. His style flows very smoothly and is a pleasure to read. As a child of the West and one who grew up when there were still vestiges of the old West hanging on in pockets here and there, he certainly knows his subject. He manages to fill this broad history with an incredible number of details without making the whole thing unwieldy. I learned a great many things that I never knew before that could easily be jumping off points for further study. Some of the many subjects Lavender covers are, in no particular order: The Mormons, the railroads, land speculators, the homestead act, various gold rushes, the Indian Wars, the Civil War in the West, the politics of road and railroad building, fur trappers, the Indian trade, the Johnson County War, the unionization of the miners and the great migration, cattle drives and cowboys and the range wars to name just a few.

The book is broken down into chapters covering a specific number of years. In between the chapters are multi-page pictorial sections with captions and also short, page long writings on specific topics such as the Indian Wars or the California gold rush with accompanying pictures. Each chapter includes a map of the United States and its territories complete with trails, railroads and in some cases battles. The entire package is very well done. I don’t know how easy this would be to find these days. I’m sure that there are copies available out there.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for an excellent single-volume history of America’s westward expansion. Lavender’s engaging style brings you closer to the fascinating characters, exhilarating events, sadness, despair, violence, folly and boundless optimism that helped define this period of American history.

[Don Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Necessary Read

I suppose that this "kind" of book is required in the effort to chronicle and retain historical data. However, I found this book extremely difficult to read and quite reminiscent of the history textbooks that were required reading in High school.

This is the kind of book that made me believe that I didn't "like" history! Only after being exposed to the broader library of historical reporting and analysis did I realize that studying history did not have to be so painstaking and boring.

[Don Robins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love History

While this is a long book and sometimes moved slowly, it was an interesting read. Seeing how the United States developed through the years was informative. Reading this history from this author's point of view was especially helpful as it gives a somewhat different view from the "typical" histories of white America. Sadly, the history of the "plundering" of Native American lands is frightening. It's as if we think we had inherent rights to what we took. Might this be part of the reason we are still so divided in opinions in our great country?

[Dave Donahoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical book about the American west. This book is not about cowboys and Indians or gunfighters and the myths and legends. It’s about the exploration and settling of the west from 1763 to 1914 and covers ground from just east of the Appalachians to the Pacific coast. A very in-depth read that chooses to by-pass the well known histories in order to teach the reader something new

[Harvey Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book as it was an overall History of the West. That said, it was a "high altitude" view, with lots of history, and not a lot of time spent on each occurrence in the history time line.

None the less, I would recommend the book.

[Richard Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and easy to read.

The author's knowledge of his subject is both incisive and insightful. I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to broaden their understanding of the development of America west of the Allegheny Mountains.

[Jim Swike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a text book and timeline style. A good reference nook, learned some, thought I would learn more. Maybe you will feel differently. Enjoy!

[John Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. The author knows his history. Easy to read, but sometimes jumped around a bit and gave incomplete information or assumed you already know something, which can get you a little lost. Seems almost like a transcription of a college lecture—kind of off the cuff and vibrant, but not fully fleshed out. Now, given that this was a huge subject with a lot of ground to cover (literally) and close to two centuries of events to explain, it still could have used just a touch here and there of more scrupulous editing—even if it made the book longer as a result. That said, it was still an exciting read. I learned an incredible amount of stuff about the exploration and settlement of the West and really admire the author and many of the hardy, driven people he wrote about. Highly recommend!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the information in this book even though I found a couple of places with misinformation and/or vague information. The book also lacks a conclusion or epilogue and so simply drops you off at the end. However, as previously stated, the information was good and it does give a great picture of the American west.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good history

A lot of information in a short time, anyone can get a good idea of how the west was settled from this book

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information - but in so much detail. It was like reading a textbook. That said, I learned a lot.