William R Sanford
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After the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803, the young nation needed brave pioneers to explore this vast uncharted land. Zebulon Pike, a young frontier soldier, welcomed the challenge. Heading southwest from St. Louis, Missouri, Pike led an expedition across rolling prairies before arriving at the towering mountains. Pike became the first American to explore the southern Rocky Mountains, recording detailed maps. The highest peak...
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Buffalo Bill rode his speedy horse toward a herd of buffalo. With careful aim, Bill dropped a buffalo with one shot. Before the day ended, he bagged ten more. In less than eighteen months, he had killed thousands. His nickname quickly spread throughout the Wild West. Buffalo Bill had many jobs, Pony Express rider, scout, soldier, buffalo hunter, but he was most famous for entertaining audiences with his Wild West show. Many Americans and others around...
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Angry mobs had forced Brigham Young and his fellow Mormons out of Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. As leader of the Mormon Church, Young needed a safe place for his followers to live and worship freely. So with more than 5,000 Mormon settlers, Young crossed prairies, climbed mountains, and overcame hardship to reach his Promised Land, an unsettled region near the Great Salt Lake of Utah. Sometimes called the "American Moses," authors William R. Sanford...
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Quannah Parker was the last great chief of the Comanche. In this biography, the author tells the real story of this fearless leader, who led attacks on buffalo hunters, including the famous battle at Adobe Walls. For many years, Chief Quanah Parker eluded the U.S. Army and preserved the Comanche way of life. Later, he led his people during their years on the reservation, and helped them adjust to their new way of life.
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Chief Joseph led his people, the Nez Perce, on one of the greatest journeys in American History. In the early morning hours of June 17, 1877, hundreds of men, women, and children began a three-month journey flight for freedom. Along the way, they would battle enormous odds, fighting the U.S. Army and traveling 1700 miles over the difficult terrain of the Rockies and northern plains.
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In the broiling heat of Texas, Richard King built an empire. Before he arrived in Texas, cattle ranching barely existed in the United States. Although it was a hostile land of sand and brush, King saw an opportunity in the Lone Star state. With great skill and tireless determination, Captain King developed a thriving industry, bringing beef to the northern states and inventing modern ranching. Authors William R. Sanford and Carl R. Green explore the...
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Bill Pickett urged his horse forward chasing after the speedy steer. Like an acrobat, Pickett jumped onto the steer's back, grabbing it by the horns. In the same motion, he twisted the steer's neck up and bit its upper lip with his teeth. Instantly, he had the steer on the ground as the crowd roared in delight. Bill Pickett invented this exciting event, known as bulldogging. Despite the racism he faced as an African-American cowboy, Pickett entertained...
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Red Cloud was the great chief of the Oglala Sioux. He was the only Native American chief to ever win a war against the United States government. Beginning in 1863, white settlers and gold miners swarmed over the Bozeman Trail which cut through the hunting grounds of the Sioux in Wyoming and Montana. Red Cloud realized his people were in danger. When the U.S. Army began to build forts along the trail, trouble began.
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As winter strangled the wilderness, John C. Fremont needed to get his expedition party to California. Facing sub-zero temperatures, meager food supplies, and American Indian warriors on their trail, the explorer counted on one man to lead the way: Kit Carson. The mountain man and scout knew the uncharted West better than anyone. Carson led the party through the deep snow over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to their destination. Fremont reported Carson's...
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In May 1805, as the Lewis and Clark expedition paddled up the Missouri River, a howling gust of wind tipped over one of the canoes. The men paddled to shore, leaving behind precious supplies. Instantly, Sacagawea jumped in the water, rescuing important journals and scientific experiments. Throughout Lewis and Clark's journey in the uncharted American West, this young American Indian woman proved to be an invaluable member of the expedition. Sacagawea...
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Based on historical accounts, the author tells the real story of this fearless leader, and the many attacks he led against the U.S. Army. Eventually, he was forced to surrender and died mysteriously while under arrest in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. A sculpture memorializing him can be found on the side of a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
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Osceola led his people, the Seminoles, in one of the longest struggles of the Indian Wars. In a game of hide and seek in the Florida wetlands, the Seminoles struck deadly blows to the U.S. Army. Osceoloa was never defeated, but was finally double-crossed and captured. The author tells the real story of this fearless leader. The Seminoles had lived peacefully with Spanish settlers and runaway slaves until Florida became part of the United States. When...
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Sitting Bull was the greatest chief of the Sioux. As both war chief and medicine man, Sitting Bull led the Sioux in their victory at the Battle of Little Bighorn, but he also led them through their years of hardship and turmoil. Rather than surrender, Sitting Bull united many Native American tribes in the struggle to protect the great Plains and the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota.
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What was Calamity Jane's real name? Was she a horse thief and a preacher's daughter? Did she actually serve under General George Custer? The truth and myth are difficult to separate in the wild life of Calamity Jane. An independent spirit, she never stayed in one place for long. She worked as a gold prospector, bullwhacker, nurse, and had many other jobs. Calamity Jane refused to conform to the typical roles of nineteenth-century women. Authors William...
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Appropriately nicknamed "the Pathfinder," John C. Fremont blazed many trails across the Wild West. Fremont carved paths over the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountains. He led expeditions through uncharted wilderness and provided the first useful maps of California and Oregon. However, Fremont did more than explore. As a soldier, he helped California fight for its independence and served as one of the state's first senators. Authors William R. Sanford...