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An Indian Winter, or with the Indians in the Rockies
An Indian Winter, or with the Indians in the Rockies is fiction but based on a true story. It describes the experiences of two men stranded in the Rockies during winter with little supplies.
146 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1913
89 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
James Willard Schultz
126 books30 followersJames Willard Schultz, or Apikuni, (born August 26, 1859, died June 11, 1947) was a noted author, explorer, Glacier National Park guide, fur trader and historian of the Blackfoot Indians.
James Willard Schultz (J.W. Schultz) started writing at the age of 21, publishing articles and stories in Forest and Stream for 15 years. He did not write his first book until 1907 at age 48. The memoir: ''My Life as an Indian tells the story of his first year living with the Pikuni tribe of Blackfeet Indians East of Glacier. In 1911, he associated himself with publishers Houghton Mifflin who published Schultz's subsequent books for the next 30 years. In all, Schultz wrote and published 37 fiction and non-fiction books dealing with the Blackfoot, Kootenai, and Flathead Indians. His works received critical literary acclaim from the general media as well as academia for his story telling and contributions to ethnology. Sometime after 1902, while living in Southern California, Schultz worked for a while as the literary editor of the Los Angeles Times.
James Willard Schultz (J.W. Schultz) started writing at the age of 21, publishing articles and stories in Forest and Stream for 15 years. He did not write his first book until 1907 at age 48. The memoir: ''My Life as an Indian tells the story of his first year living with the Pikuni tribe of Blackfeet Indians East of Glacier. In 1911, he associated himself with publishers Houghton Mifflin who published Schultz's subsequent books for the next 30 years. In all, Schultz wrote and published 37 fiction and non-fiction books dealing with the Blackfoot, Kootenai, and Flathead Indians. His works received critical literary acclaim from the general media as well as academia for his story telling and contributions to ethnology. Sometime after 1902, while living in Southern California, Schultz worked for a while as the literary editor of the Los Angeles Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 22, 2021
This book is supposed to be a memoir, but it reads suspiciously like a novel. The author's parents died when he was a boy, and he went to go live with his uncle Wesley, who was a fur trader among the Blackfeet Indians. Schultz's uncle has married a Blackfoot woman, and she has a nephew, Pitamakan, who is about Schultz's own age. Schultz and Pitamakan decide to sneak off to go fur trapping in the territory of other Indians, and it's at this point the trouble starts.
They are caught by the other Indians, and the boys have everything stolen from them, including horses, guns, and knives. They are left with only their clothing out in the wilderness just as winter sets in. At this point, the narrative begins to read like a cross between a Jack London book and Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island. The boys are trapped in the snowy mountains all winter and have to struggle to survive. Even Pitamakan has difficulty, because he belongs to the generation of Indians that has largely lost many of the old ways, and he and Schultz are forced to rediscover them.
Nonetheless, it was a very good book even by modern standards. For a work over a hundred years old, it still holds up quite well. Shultz, who lived among the Blackfeet for decades and later became a wilderness guide, is filled with all sorts of interesting details about wilderness survival, and he's skilled at building narrative tension. Yet I'm troubled by the claim that the book is a memoir. It fits the pattern of a work of fiction far too well. Practically all the other books that Schulz wrote were fiction. However, taking it as a work of fiction, you'll eat it up if you like wilderness survival stories. It's the sort of work that would be good to read aloud to an older child.
Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL26398...
They are caught by the other Indians, and the boys have everything stolen from them, including horses, guns, and knives. They are left with only their clothing out in the wilderness just as winter sets in. At this point, the narrative begins to read like a cross between a Jack London book and Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island. The boys are trapped in the snowy mountains all winter and have to struggle to survive. Even Pitamakan has difficulty, because he belongs to the generation of Indians that has largely lost many of the old ways, and he and Schultz are forced to rediscover them.
Nonetheless, it was a very good book even by modern standards. For a work over a hundred years old, it still holds up quite well. Shultz, who lived among the Blackfeet for decades and later became a wilderness guide, is filled with all sorts of interesting details about wilderness survival, and he's skilled at building narrative tension. Yet I'm troubled by the claim that the book is a memoir. It fits the pattern of a work of fiction far too well. Practically all the other books that Schulz wrote were fiction. However, taking it as a work of fiction, you'll eat it up if you like wilderness survival stories. It's the sort of work that would be good to read aloud to an older child.
Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL26398...
August 30, 2024
This should really be entitled "Hunting and Trapping One Winter with a Blackfoot Man"...because that's really all this entails. There is almost no Native culture. As an animal lover, I grieved the litany of animal deaths, even though I know these men were using the animals for food and supplies. I just hoped this book would include something more than that. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Clay Willard Lomakayu.
August 17, 2018
J.W. Shultz painted a very vivid picture that was full of thrills to the end. I was especially captivated by the quick-to-love characters whose unique personalities gave the story depth. Young Thomas Fox and Pitamakan only knew of experiences of others so they had to recall each account and put their wits to the test in recreating whatever it was they were trying to do. With each task both of the boys brought a different perspective which ultimately gave them the ability to survive a perilous winter in the Rocky Mountains surrounded by a hostile environment with predators like bears and cougars and other Indians. When I put the book down all I could do was wonder what other adventures Thomas Fox and Pitamakan went on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2020
A Thomas Fox and Pitamakan adventure
There is never a dull moment in any of the James Willard Schultz books I have read, and this one is no exception--an amazing story. I have read at least a dozen of his books, each is as good as the last. Amazon has a number of his books, but some are only on Kindle. I highly recommend this, and all of his books. More on Thomas Fox and Pitamakan in The Quest for the Fish-Dog Skin, The War-Trail Fort, The Spanish Horse, The Gold Cache, and Sinopah, which is Pitamakan's story. Also must-reads are Running Eagle, Warrior Girl, The Dreadful River Cave, and Apauk, Caller of Buffalo. Enjoy!
There is never a dull moment in any of the James Willard Schultz books I have read, and this one is no exception--an amazing story. I have read at least a dozen of his books, each is as good as the last. Amazon has a number of his books, but some are only on Kindle. I highly recommend this, and all of his books. More on Thomas Fox and Pitamakan in The Quest for the Fish-Dog Skin, The War-Trail Fort, The Spanish Horse, The Gold Cache, and Sinopah, which is Pitamakan's story. Also must-reads are Running Eagle, Warrior Girl, The Dreadful River Cave, and Apauk, Caller of Buffalo. Enjoy!
February 7, 2019
An Adventurous Read Into Days Gone By
James Willard Schultz has such a grasp of his time and the years before that any fan of history and adventure is sure to be entertained. He takes the reader from hopeless happenings to fulfilling frames as he tell this engaging story of two boys, one white one Indian, who suffer hardship after hardship. Their pioneer and Indian learning reward them with their lives. A great read!
James Willard Schultz has such a grasp of his time and the years before that any fan of history and adventure is sure to be entertained. He takes the reader from hopeless happenings to fulfilling frames as he tell this engaging story of two boys, one white one Indian, who suffer hardship after hardship. Their pioneer and Indian learning reward them with their lives. A great read!
April 17, 2023
Tremendous!
Absolutely tremendous piece of American Literature.
An absolute must-read for anyone ever remotely interested in American History.
Read - just for the sheer curiosity of an adventure of epic proportions, the likes of which can never be found again in this ever fast growing world of comfort seeking.
Fantastic to think that, although here we are in the 21st Century, this only happened a mere couple of generations ago.
Absolutely tremendous piece of American Literature.
An absolute must-read for anyone ever remotely interested in American History.
Read - just for the sheer curiosity of an adventure of epic proportions, the likes of which can never be found again in this ever fast growing world of comfort seeking.
Fantastic to think that, although here we are in the 21st Century, this only happened a mere couple of generations ago.
April 29, 2018
An entertaining adventure
I devoured these stories as a boy. A lifetime later they still manage to capture me. These adventures will endure with anyone who still dreams of those remarkable times.
I devoured these stories as a boy. A lifetime later they still manage to capture me. These adventures will endure with anyone who still dreams of those remarkable times.
July 20, 2018
Great Read!
This book is a "page turner" and provides great insight into the customs and practices and civilization of the Native American people who were swept ahead of the tsunami of the new american immigrants.
This book is a "page turner" and provides great insight into the customs and practices and civilization of the Native American people who were swept ahead of the tsunami of the new american immigrants.
July 12, 2020
Totally worth the time. You get an exciting survival story and lovely description of Plains Indian culture and religion. Written over 100 years ago about experiences from the 1870's the writing is not at all dated.
February 5, 2018
Winter
It was very informative and easy to understand what they had to do just to stay alive using their wits
It was very informative and easy to understand what they had to do just to stay alive using their wits
February 10, 2018
Exciting
5 star all the way. The entire story kept you on the edge of your seat. A true story of survival. Mind boggling
5 star all the way. The entire story kept you on the edge of your seat. A true story of survival. Mind boggling
May 4, 2018
Total page turner
Great story read the entire book in two sittings, couldn't put it down.
Filled with many facts intresting to the outdoors lover.
Great story read the entire book in two sittings, couldn't put it down.
Filled with many facts intresting to the outdoors lover.
January 20, 2019
Great read!
Well worth reading! It is amazing all this man did and survived. The descriptions of the life of the Indian is fascinating!
Well worth reading! It is amazing all this man did and survived. The descriptions of the life of the Indian is fascinating!
November 26, 2019
Very well written.
You feel like you are there. It was hard to put the book down. Not long and drawn out. I would like to read more from this author.
You feel like you are there. It was hard to put the book down. Not long and drawn out. I would like to read more from this author.
May 12, 2020
If you would like more info on wilderness survival, this is a good read.
October 28, 2020
An enthralling adventure of two boys in the Rockies
To learn how to survive from nothing to a successful living in the wilds of the Rockies and then return to home.
To learn how to survive from nothing to a successful living in the wilds of the Rockies and then return to home.
March 23, 2021
One of the great stories that you hate to have to come to an end. Good story, good character development in an exciting environment.
July 24, 2021
Excellent. Not one word could be spared. We learn how to survive in a mountain winter wilderness with nothing but the clothes on our backs.
March 7, 2022
Great story!
December 15, 2025
I really liked how the boys persevered through that long winter in 1860
March 14, 2017
Held my attention
I really enjoyed this book. I read it all in one evening. A lot of it was probably not factual but kept me entertained.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it all in one evening. A lot of it was probably not factual but kept me entertained.
April 19, 2015
The book caught my eye as I was surfing through available selections from my local library ebooks since I love both survival tales and mountain men tales, and this book looked like it contained both. I had never heard of this book or author before and it came as a pleasant surprise to discover how terrific it was; I can surely see why it is considered a classic. It would be a great tale for young readers, but I was thoroughly engrossed even though I am an old lady and appreciated it even more because it was the true story of a real mountain man and his Indian friend whom the author knew and admired. I was delighted to see that four more books besides this one were available online at Project Gutenberg. What a great last line: "So ended my first great adventure on the frontier that was but is no more.
October 6, 2017
A classic that keeps you clung
There was nothing that I disliked about this book. It was such a great read I did not want to put it down. I did not expect the story to captivate me like it did. Definitely a hidden treasure. I would recommend this book to any middle or high school literature instructor because of the writing style and depth of the story. I chose to give 5 stars because With the Indians in the Rockies is a classic long forgotten but captivated me every page of the way. It is hard to come by books like this these days. I want to buy it for my personal collection.
There was nothing that I disliked about this book. It was such a great read I did not want to put it down. I did not expect the story to captivate me like it did. Definitely a hidden treasure. I would recommend this book to any middle or high school literature instructor because of the writing style and depth of the story. I chose to give 5 stars because With the Indians in the Rockies is a classic long forgotten but captivated me every page of the way. It is hard to come by books like this these days. I want to buy it for my personal collection.
July 18, 2014
A great western adventure story about two boys trapped in the Rockies for the winter and how they use their wits to escape hostile Indians, famine and frost, and other dangers. Readers young and old who enjoy stories of survival and of the western wild will enjoy this book, written as all of Schultz's books are in a very accessible style. This book inspired me as a junior high boy to try hard things. I read it to my own boys not that long ago.
January 14, 2015
Very interesting true story!
Wonderful picture of true Indian life on the prairies in the 1800's. True tales, adventures, and misadventures of a white boy and his Indian friend.. A hard to put down patterned. You're always wondering what is going to happen to these very enterprising, smart, hardy boys next.
Wonderful picture of true Indian life on the prairies in the 1800's. True tales, adventures, and misadventures of a white boy and his Indian friend.. A hard to put down patterned. You're always wondering what is going to happen to these very enterprising, smart, hardy boys next.
September 15, 2018
A Winter Spent in the Rockies
I enjoyed this tale of a young Indian and his white brother stranded for a winter in the Rocky Mountains. Their ingenuity and courage to survive was amazing to a “tenderfoot” like me! A wonderful tale!
I enjoyed this tale of a young Indian and his white brother stranded for a winter in the Rocky Mountains. Their ingenuity and courage to survive was amazing to a “tenderfoot” like me! A wonderful tale!
August 17, 2023
Great book!
Scholz does a fine job of writing and telling the stories . I wish there was a little more exclamation of the individuals leading up to their adventures . Captivating keeps your attention .
Scholz does a fine job of writing and telling the stories . I wish there was a little more exclamation of the individuals leading up to their adventures . Captivating keeps your attention .
October 19, 2019
An amazing tale of survival and companionship
I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure that was told, I felt as though I was right there with the two young men as they fought to survive and relied on one another in situations many of us would not survive in this day and age.
I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure that was told, I felt as though I was right there with the two young men as they fought to survive and relied on one another in situations many of us would not survive in this day and age.
March 1, 2022
A fantastic and very informative book!
March 1, 2022
Excellent
Read the 1984 edition.
Read the 1984 edition.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews