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West of Wichita

Settling the High Plains of Kansas, 1865-1890

Craig Miner

viii, 304 pages, 52 photographs, 1 map, 7 x 9
Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-0364-0, $14.95

Book Cover ImageThis volume, which presents a "slice-of-life" on the Plains during its early settlement, adds rich detail to our understanding of the struggle for survival in a harsh landscape that tested the hardiest pioneer. Miner concentrates not only on the major economic events of the period--railroad building, Indian raids, the grasshopper invasion of 1874, the blizzard of 1886--but also on the more personal experiences equally important: building sod houses, choosing crops, filing of claims, fighting varmints, and dealing with the deaths of children on the prairie.

"Magnificent. . . . A subtle and often moving account of pioneer life. . . . A truly splendid book."--Choice

"Regional history at its best. . . . Many of the traditional tales of early hardships--grasshopper plagues, Indian attacks, the stress of loneliness and isolation, drought, blizzards, prairie fires, and the unaccustomed hazards of nature--are retold with vigor and a sense of immediacy. These gritty tales of pioneer persistence and stubbornness are used to illustrate the region's cyclical history of hope and despair. . . . Not the least of Miner's talents is his engaging style. Images are alive, progression of the story lively, and the analysis convincing. This first-rate book is an important addition to the history of Kansas and, more broadly, to the study of western settlement."--American Historical Review

"Miner treats the stuff of Plains history . . . with true originality and insight."--Great Plains Quarterly

"The settlement history of western Kansas provides a good cross-section of the larger Great Plain experience. . . . With great success, Miner traces the impressions recorded by the pioneers as they rode out the booms, busts, plagues, and droughts that punctuated their lives. His careful reading of the rich store of diaries and letters from the period gives him a sharp focus on the harder, statistical evidence which he also includes. . . . [The book is] rich in detail, warmed by the affection its author obviously feels for his subject."--Journal of American History

"A poignant account of human pathos and triumphs, of dreams and despair, of illusion and disillusion."--Kansas History

"A wonderful book . . . about survivors who faced things head on."--Kansas City Times

CRAIG MINER is Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State University. Among his numerous books are Kansas: The History of the Sunflower State, 1854–2000; Harvesting the High Plains: John Kriss and the Business of Wheat Farming, 1920–1950; and (with William E. Unrau) The End of Indian Kansas: A Study of Cultural Revolution, 1854–1874.