Frank Carlson Library

A soldier-author's view of the American frontier The history of the expansion of the frontier of America is particularly marked by the famous-perhaps legendary-trails upon which pioneers in their 'prairie schooners' or cattlemen driving their great herds crossed the vast continental interior. All roads tell their own stories, not by virtue of being routes of passage, but because of the personalities of those who travelled them and the events that...

Describes the history of the Santa Fe Trail from the encounters with blizzards and Indians, to the effect on trade, and the final demise of the trail caused by the building of the railroad.