True West Magazine

Book Reviews

West From Salt Lake

  • Print

(Arthur H. Clark Company, $34.95)

Written by Linda Wommack
Published June 12, 2012

For those interested in the history of Westward migration, West from Salt Lake is a must read. The history of the Central Overland Trail, blazed by James Simpson in 1859, is fully recounted with meticulous research and eight detailed maps of the entire trail, greatly enhanced by Simpson’s own descriptions.

What sets this book apart from all others is the wonderful way the editor, Jesse G. Petersen, weaves the history with excerpts from the diaries of 23 travelers of the trail. Their firsthand accounts record life on the trail from trivial squabbles to death, the weather and the constant search for water. The diaries of two Pony Express riders and two soldiers further the personal accounts of the trail as it developed.

—Linda Wommack

True West Site Guide

Mission

True West captures the spirit of the American West with authenticity, personality and humor by linking our history to our present. Whether you call it the Wild West, the Old West or the Far West, America's frontier history comes to life in True West, the world's oldest, continuously published Western Americana magazine.

Western movie fans, re-enactors, history buffs and road warriors, we got your history covered: outlaw, cowboy, Indian, lawman, gunfighter, fur trapper, miner, prospector, gambler, soldier, entertainer and pioneer. Check out these True Westerners now!

Categories

Social Media

Services

 

Product of the Month

The Illustrated Life and Times of Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Earp

"Your book is fascinating, coupling your powerful illustrations [and] tracking...from birth to Tombstone to the legend [Wyatt] had become;...even Wyatt would approve." --By Hugh O'Brian, of the TV series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

"Hands down the definitive books on Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday." --By Allen Barra, New York Newsday