THEOBALD,JOHN AND LILLIAN
First edition. Signed by Barry Goldwater. Light green cloth with gilt stamping on spine, xiii [1], 178pp., publisher's note, author's preface and acknowledgments, illustrated, index of postmasters, appendix. The Arizona Historical Foundation in a first attempt to enlarge upon the history of the Early Pioneer period which began even before Arizona had gained Territorial status. Chapters on Arizona Territory and before, conveyances used to transport mail, early postal routes, records and documents of salaries, Pre-Territorial post offices, post offices and postmasters 1863-1912, index of postmasters, etc. An interesting contribution to not only the Territorial history of Arizona, but also the people and transportation of the day. Fine in dust jacket.
STEWART, EDGAR I. [EDITOR].
First edition. Cloth, 268pp., folding map, index. Frequently debated in the 1870's was the worth, or worthlessness, of much of the western lands. The Northern Pacific Railroad, explorers, surveyors, Army Generals, and European financiers were all caught-up in the debate. The editor of this work has compiled a number of documents from that time period which helped set forth the various arguments in this great debate. Fine in dust jacket with some very light wear to edges and corners.
SWETT, LEONARD HERBERT
This archive consists of three letters written by Leonard Herbert "Berty" Swett to his mother or to his mother and father between 1883-1885. Swett spent part of the summer of 1875 with family friend George Armstrong Custer in the Dakota Territory, just one year before the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He later participated in the U.S. Geological Survey of the Utah Plateau Region, traveled across Europe, and worked on the Texas XIT ranch. Swett was also the namesake son of Leonard Swett (1825-1889), an informal legal advisor and ally to Abraham Lincoln who, working with Ward Hill Lamon and David Davis, helped engineer Lincolnâs 1860 presidential nomination. All three letters are from Swett's travels through the western United States, highlighting the young and isolated nature of the region in this era. Letter "A" - LS. 10 pg. 8" x 5." November 5, 1883. Wichita, Kansas. A letter signed by "Leonard H. Swett" to "My dear Father & Mother. "I arrived in Wichita â" from Wellington â" last Thursday and wrote you a short letter then. Friday PM Will Campbell drove me out to the farm, which is 3 1/2 miles north-west of town, and contains about 500 acres. It is bounded on the west by the Arkansas river having a little more than a mile of water front. The little Arkansas river, a stream which never runs dry, extends for half a mile just inside the eastern boundy [sic], that is, runs across the farm. Both streams are sufficiently supplied with natural timber along the banks to afford good shelter for stock during the cold break winds of winter and the heat and XX time of summerâ¦" After going into detail on the crops and cattle situation, Swett explains that property in Wichita is affordable and accessible, but, "I give you this description to illustrate how desirable a piece of property a Kansas farm may be, I have no desire to buy it even if I had an abundance of money, as it is a little to {sic} big for my present condition and knowledge of the business and would involve a great many details, then by gaining cheaper land I hope to gain the first profit which has already been realized here." Even this isolated area is already too settled for Swett. This letter is written on his father"s law office stationery. Letter "B" - LS. 6 pg. November 10, 1883. Albuquerque, New Mexico. A letter signed by "Leonard H. Swett" to "My dear Mother." In describing his journey from Kansas to New Mexico, Swett describes Colorado as, "a part of the country I have always passed through in the night. The country all the way is desert and good for nothing apparently â" The only objects of interest are the Spanish Peaks â" two mountains about 50 miles from the track, and 13,000 feet high â" but only 7,000 higher than the railroad. They were very blue and beautiful â" but only visible for a short timeâ¦" Yet within the next decade, Colorado and New Mexico's populations skyrocketed thanks to the discovery of silver and gold in the former and the climate of the latter. This letter is written on very thin paper. Letter "C" - 11 pg. November 19, 1885. XIT Ranch. A letter to "My Dearest Mother." "Late in the afternoon of Sunday the 8th of this month a cloud of smoke rose on the Southeastern horizon. Its origin was at once attributed to a prairie fire and thoâ evidently distant probably on our range. Immediately an outfit consisting of a wagon containing a barrel of water â" for wetting clothes for beating the fire out with â" a few provisions and some bedding for the men started out in charge of two men with six horsemen under command of Mr. XXâ¦to find the fire. This outfit was deemed sufficiently large to meet the fire and little more thought was given the matterâ¦" Thus begins Swett's unsigned letter to this mother describing his work on the XIT Ranch to put out a fire. From 1885 through 1886, Swett was employed at the XIT Ranch, a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle which operated from 1885 to 1912. Comprising over 3,000,000 acres of land, it ran for 200 miles along the border with New Mexico, and at its peak regularly handled 150,000 head of cattle. The original owners of the ranch are briefly mentioned in Swett's previous letter as travel companions, indicating a pre-existing relationship that surely helped him acquire this job. Originally, the ranch was very profitable, but crashing cattle prices just one year after this letter, combined with an inability to sell excess land, brought the ranch's owners to bankruptcy by 1912. This letter is written on thick paper. All three letters are in excellent condition and a fascinating window into the life and mind of a young man forging his own identity on America's western frontier.
SONNICHSEN, C.L.
Reprint. 2 Volumes. Cloth. xi, 467pp. + xix, 140pp. Numerous illustrations from old photos. Map and Dust Jacket illustrations by Jose Cisneros. Extensive bibliography and footnotes. "A remarkable and readable history of the community of El Paso and the adjacent valley of the Rio Grande.Pass Of The North is a significant contribution to Texas and Western American history."----William C. Pool. "This is a splendid history of the area centering around El Paso and Juarez.The narrative encompasses a broad sweep of Southwestern history from Cabeza De Vaca, Juan De Onate, and Zuniga through Zebulon Pike, Josiah Gregg, James Magoffin, George W. Kendall, George Ruxton, Jack Hays, R.S. Neighbors, W.H. Emory, John S. Ford, and Joseph E. Johnston, all of whom visited and had something to say about the pass of the North.The area witnessed the activities of John Selman, John Wesley Hardin, Jim Gillett, Jeff Milton, Bill McDonald, Pancho Villa, and other lawmen and outlaws."--John Jenkins. Fine in near fine dust jackets.
ABERCROMBIE, CAPTAIN W. R.
First edition. 8vo. Senate, 56th Congress, 1st Session, Document No. 306. Quarter red leather and marbled boards, titles stamped in gilt on the spine, marbled front and rear endpapers, 169 [1] pp.,plus 168 pages of photographic plates, one large folding map tipped in at the rear of the volume, all edges are marbled. This informative and lavishly illustrated account of the expedition led by Abercrombie, in order to establish an all-American route from Valdez, Alaska on Prince William Sound, and opening up a military road to Copper Centre by the most direct route to Eagle City, and the gold fields of northern Alaska. It was the first direct land route into the Alaska interior, and included 13 detailed subreports which revealed the brutal hardships suffered by âStampedersâ attempting to traverse the terrain, and Abercrombie actually concluded many of the miners were mentally deranged, and later established a hospital in Valdez. Covers rubbed, internally clean and tight, else a very good, bright and tight copy.
HORGAN, PAUL
First edition. Limited to 1000 Signed Copies. 8vo. Tan Cloth. Pictorial Endpapers. xv, (1), 447 pp. & 453-1002 pp., titles stamped in gold on spine, preface, prologue, maps, appendices, bibliography, index. Volume One is sub-titled "INDIANS And SPAIN". Volume Two is sub-titled "MEXICO And The UNITED STATES". These volumes were winners of the 1955 Bancroft Prize and the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for History. Out of series volume in the "Rivers of America" series. "It is an epic history of four civilizations - Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-American - that people the Southwest through ten centuries. With the skill of a novelist, the veracity of a scholar, and the love of a long-time resident, Paul Horgan describes the Rio Grande, its role in human history, and the overlapping cultures that have grown up alongside it or entered into conflict over the land it traverses. A fine set without dust jackets, as issued, housed in original black slipcase. Slipcase has moderate wear to edges and corners, with separation to back edge and top edge, but holding.
SPRING, AGNES WRIGHT
First edition. Introduction by Donald R. Ornduff. Small quarto. Cloth, decorated endsheets, [10], 123 pp., introduction, illustrated, plates, portraits. The author provides biographical sketches of ranching families and prominent cattlemen, such as Dan Casement, George W. Littlefield, Alexander H. Swan, and many others. She reminisces about how these families were able to bring a measure of the "good life" to a region considered by most to be uncivilized. This is the portrayal of the lives and times of all those who fashioned culture out of the rawness of the early West. Fine in dust jacket.
SMITH, HELENA HUNTINGTON.
First edition. Cloth, xiii [1], 320pp., frontis., foreword, acknowledgments, prologue, illustrated, map, epilogue, notes, bibliography, index. The War began to smolder in 1875 and at stake was nothing less than dominion over the new state of Wyoming. Cattlemen demanded control of the range. Farmers denounced the "invasion from Texas" as more and more hired gunmen moved into the state. Threats, counter-threats, and legal maneuvers were soon accompanied by shooting and the noose. Thoroughly researched and well-written account of the Wyoming range war which came to be known as the Johnson County War. Very good in price-clipped dust jacket, with light wear to the extremities.
ADAMS, ANDY [PSEUDONYM OF WALTER B. GIBSON]
First edition. 12mo. Fine, bright copy in a bright fresh dust jacket with light wear to the foot of spine and bottom edge. First edition of No. 7 in the Biff Brewster travel series for the Stratemeyer Syndicate featuring the talents of the famed writer of "The Shadow" who wrote pulps as Maxwell Grant. This travel mystery is set against the backdrop of Biff and companions Kamuka and Likake, attempting to meet his father against the backdrop of a fabulous ruby, Thugees, and a Yeti. This is one of a short-lived juvenile fiction series from the 1960s is the Biff Brewster series. Published by Grosset & Dunlap from 1960 to 1965. Thirteen novels were published during that five-year span, written by four authors using the house name of "Andy Adams." Walter B. Gibson, the creator of "The Shadow" wrote books number 4, 7, 13 and rewrote #1 and #9. It is unknown who wrote #2 and #3, but some feel it was the same author. The rewrites of Gibson cause some confusion as to authorship among different sources, as some give Gibson full credit for being the author.
YOST, NELLIE SNYDER
First edition. Cloth, 437pp., Nebraska Cattle Company map on end-sheets, profusely illustrated. An outstanding, thoroughly researched work; dedicated to the development of the range cattle industry in Nebraska. From the creation of Nebraska's lands and rivers, through the stigma of the "Great American Desert", Yost tells of the disappearance of the Indians and buffalo, the arrival of the trail herds, and the establishment of "cowtowns" and open-range ranching. An excellent work. Fine in dust jacket. Dust jacket is price-clipped, has a 1" scuff on back panel, and previous owner has externally reinforced spine ends and corners of dust jacket with clear tape. Large folding map, which is often missing, is laid-in, and is in fine condition. Signed by author on title page.
DALE,HARRISON CLIFFORD.
Revised edition. Green Cloth, 360pp., illus., 2 maps, intro., biblio., index. The first printing of this work in 1918 helped rescue Jedediah Smith from obscurity and has become a fur trade classic. Subsequent works on Smith by Maurice Sullivan and Dale Morgan provided much new information and prompted Harrison Clifford Dale to reexamine his original work. "Twenty years have elapsed since the first edition of this book was written. In the interval much new material has been brought to light, including the fragmentary Smith journals, some of it necessitating a correction or modification of my earlier interpretations, some of it, also, happily strengthening conclusions that had been hazarded in the first edition. I have found the only satisfactory way to use this new material effectively has been to recast many portions of the book. This edition, consequently, is something more than a revision, something less than a complete rewriting."---Harrison C. Dale. Some very minor oxidation to gilt title on spine, else a fine copy.
HOLDEN, WILLIAM CURRY.
First edition. 8vo. Pictorial cloth, map of Spur Ranch Country 1878-1884 on end sheets, xv, (7), 268 pp., foreword, preface, epilogue, appendices, bibliography, index. History of Texas' Spur Ranch and its London-based owners, the Espuela Land and Cattle Company. It covers topics including the founding of the ranch, its environs, expenses, personnel, conflicts with native peoples and neighbors, and life on the range. As with all of Holden's books, well-written and highly informative. Fine in clear dust jacket, as issued.
DRIPS, J. H
Reprint edition limited to 500 copies. Cloth, i-xv, + 139 pp. Introduction by John M. Carroll. An important reprint of the very rare 1894 first edition, Drips, of Malone, Iowa, records his personal experiences chasing and fighting Sioux warriors with General Sully's expedition against the Sioux in 1863, 1864, & 1865. Drips was a sergeant in Company L of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry. "The author participated in the Indian campaigns of 1863-5 under General Sully on the Upper Missouri, in North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. He was painstakingly precise in his description of various events, having kept a day-by-day journal. His descriptions of Indian battles include those at Fort Rice, Devil's Lake, Knife River, White Stone Hill, the Yellowstone campaign, etc." A rare and important first-hand account of this early campaign against Plains Indians. A fine copy.
MORGAN, DALE L. AND ELEANOR TOWLES HARRIS. [EDITORS
First Edition. Cloth, 430pp., illustrations, map on endpapers, lengthy introduction. Extensive bibliography, index. This fine work presents William M. Anderson's narrative and journal from 1834, in which he records events from rendezvous at Ham's Fork in 1834. This is the only eyewitness account of William Sublette's historic race to the rendezvous. In addition Anderson describes the founding of Ft. William (later Ft. Laramie), as well as much in regards to the landmarks along the Oregon Trail. Anderson's account is further enhanced by a 142 page section comprised of biographical sketches of 45 prominent participants in the Rocky Mountain fur trade of that era. An excellent work. Previous owners small bookplate on front endpaper, else a fine, bright copy in dust jacket. Book is signed by Editors, Dale L. Morgan and Eleanor Towles Harris, and also book Designer, Ward Ritchie.
GRINNELL, JOSEPH [EDITED BY ELIZABETH GRINNELL].
First edition. 8vo. Three quarter maroon cloth and marbled boards, 96 pp., preface, double column, illustrated from photographs. Arctic Bibliography 6243 says "The author's diary, June 1898-Sept. 1899, written while prospecting in the Kotzbue Sound and Nome regions. Includes notes on climate, traveling conditions, the natives and life among the prospectors." An interesting and informative account, and the photographs add much to the narrative. Covers lightly soiled, light wear to the spine ends and corners, else a very good copy.
