Ponder the Path (History As It Happens)

ISBN: 1889252026

Author: Wiles, Gary

Condition: New

Review Ponder The Path is inspiring, informative and just plain good reading. Although they seldom get the credit in mainstream history texts, the mountain men of the early 19th century opened the way west for America's "manifest destiny." In their quest for beaver, trappers explored the West all the way to California and Washington, mapping the unknown territory and establishing the routes used by later travelers on the Oregon and California Trails. Wiles and Brown made great effort to present an accurate portrayal of the people and the times. In researching Ponder the Path the authors consulted 159 books, drove 10,000 miles to germane sites and took 1600 research photographs. Although my current historical interests lie farther to the east, my first love was the Western mountain man and I still enjoy good books on the subject. -- Bill Scurlock, Muzzleloader Magazine March/April 1996 Product Description PONDER THE PATH (1808-1830) )Rev 2nd Ed) Mountain Men and the Fur Trade. 279 Pages; 2 Page Fur Country Map; 159 Vol. Biblio; 6 Page Index of 173 Real People, 29 Tribes and 13 firms with identifying data. Considered for the Francis Parkman Award. From the Inside Flap PONDER THE PATH is a 95,000 word history of how young Bill Sublette's grandfather inspired him to become an explorer and how Bill grew up to change our nation. Spanning America's brawling years from 1808 to 1830, PONDER puts you in the moccasins of the real Mountain Men that Bill and Milt Sublette met fighting arctic cold, grizzlies, Blackfeet, bad whiskey and each other for the vast beaver fortunes that lured many men to shallow graves. About the Author Gary Wiles worked his grandpa's cattle ranch in the Rockies as a boy. He graveyarded as a cop thru a college B.A., then wore a Deputy Marshal's star until earning his law degree. He tried civil cases nationwide until succumbing to writing and wildlife photography. Delores M. Brown grew up in historic Greeley, Coloado, near Ft. Vasquez. Her research skills built PONDER's 159 volume Bibliography. PONDER's cover is her blend of Gary's grizzly and landscape. Her artistic images grace posters, magazine and book covers.