Hell on the Range: A Story of Honor, Conscience, and the American West

by Daniel Herman

In this lively account of Arizona’s Rim Country War of the 1880s—what others have called "The Pleasant Valley War"—historian Daniel Justin Herman explores a web of conflict involving Mormons, Texas cowboys, New Mexican sheepherders, Jewish merchants, and mixed-blood ranchers. Their story, contends Herman, offers a fresh perspective on Western violence, Western identity, and American cultural history. At the heart of Arizona’s range war, argues Herman, was a conflict between cowboys’ code of honor and Mormons’ code of conscience. He investigates the sources of these attitudes, tracks them into the early twentieth century, and offers rich insights into the roots of American violence and peace. Published in Cooperation with the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, Southern Methodist University

400 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2010

Reviews

[Megan Aldrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm bias cause Dan Herman is my Prof and advisor, but my dad also read it and liked it. He said it's not just for historians. The individual stories make the history feel touchable and gives the story a story-like atmosphere.

[Meep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book quite a bit. This was not a topic I was interested in at all but the book pulled me in and kept me curious.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I expected. Herman goes in to "honor" vs "conscience" in the range wars of early Arizona Territory and follows through with modern day thoughts. There is a lot of good local history which is where my main interest lies. I was a little bogged down in the theorizing, but that's me. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Arizona history and how lines were drawn by upbringing and beliefs.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good account of the Pleasant Valley War in 1880s in the Arizona Rim Country.