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The westerners : mythmaking and belonging on the American frontier / Megan Kate Nelson.

Summary:

"The Westerners tells two richly detailed and interwoven stories. The first reveals the captivating lives of women and men moving through the American West -- Indigenous peoples, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, and Canadian and Asian immigrants -- in the 19th century. The second tracks the attempts of many Americans to erase these westerners from history, through a frontier myth that lionized individualism and conquest and celebrated white settlers traveling west in search of prosperity. Nelson's vivid, eye-opening account centers on seven extraordinary individuals whose lives capture the true history of the frontier: Sacajawea, not just Lewis and Clark's guide but an explorer who forged her own path; Jim Beckwourth, a biracial fur trader whose sharp cultural insight made him indispensable; María Gertrudis Barceló, a Hispana gambling saloon owner who broke every stereotype to become the wealthiest woman in Santa Fe; Ovando Hollister, a gold miner, soldier, and newspaper man who championed Western expansion; Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne chief whose courageous leadership secured his people's future; Canadian immigrant Ella Watson, who strove to become a ranch woman in a male-dominated world; and the defiant Polly Bemis, a Chinese immigrant who carved out a life in Idaho despite federal expulsion efforts." -- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781668004340
  • ISBN: 1668004348
  • Physical Description: xxiii, 439 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black & white), maps ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First Scribner hardcover edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, [2026]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-419) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Prologue -- Curiosity in motion -- The bringers of change -- A good time to be in the pick and shovel business -- Violence pushed to its limits -- It will bind them together and tear us apart -- Survival is a presence and an absence -- Epilogue
Subject:
Immigrants > United States > History > 19th century.
United States > Emigration and immigration > History > 19th century.
West (U.S.) > History.
Genre:
Informational works.
Biographies.

Available copies

  • 10 of 22 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 0 of 1 copy available at Brown Library System.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 22 total copies.
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Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
George H. & Laura E. Brown Library 978.02 Nel (Text) 30308101376987 Adult New Nonfiction Checked out 08/25/2026

Accessibility Features

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24514. ‡aThe westerners : ‡bmythmaking and belonging on the American frontier / ‡cMegan Kate Nelson.
2462 . ‡aMythmaking and belonging on the American frontier
250 . ‡aFirst Scribner hardcover edition.
264 1. ‡aNew York, NY : ‡bScribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, ‡c[2026]
264 4. ‡c©2026
300 . ‡axxiii, 439 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations (black & white), maps ; ‡c24 cm
336 . ‡acartographic image ‡bcri ‡2rdacontent
336 . ‡astill image ‡bsti ‡2rdacontent
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
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504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 341-419) and index.
5050 . ‡aPrologue -- Curiosity in motion -- The bringers of change -- A good time to be in the pick and shovel business -- Violence pushed to its limits -- It will bind them together and tear us apart -- Survival is a presence and an absence -- Epilogue
520 . ‡a"The Westerners tells two richly detailed and interwoven stories. The first reveals the captivating lives of women and men moving through the American West -- Indigenous peoples, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, and Canadian and Asian immigrants -- in the 19th century. The second tracks the attempts of many Americans to erase these westerners from history, through a frontier myth that lionized individualism and conquest and celebrated white settlers traveling west in search of prosperity. Nelson's vivid, eye-opening account centers on seven extraordinary individuals whose lives capture the true history of the frontier: Sacajawea, not just Lewis and Clark's guide but an explorer who forged her own path; Jim Beckwourth, a biracial fur trader whose sharp cultural insight made him indispensable; María Gertrudis Barceló, a Hispana gambling saloon owner who broke every stereotype to become the wealthiest woman in Santa Fe; Ovando Hollister, a gold miner, soldier, and newspaper man who championed Western expansion; Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne chief whose courageous leadership secured his people's future; Canadian immigrant Ella Watson, who strove to become a ranch woman in a male-dominated world; and the defiant Polly Bemis, a Chinese immigrant who carved out a life in Idaho despite federal expulsion efforts." -- Provided by publisher.
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651 0. ‡aUnited States ‡xEmigration and immigration ‡xHistory ‡y19th century. ‡0(CARDINAL)297347
651 0. ‡aWest (U.S.) ‡xHistory. ‡0(CARDINAL)258114
655 7. ‡aInformational works. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)351103
655 7. ‡aBiographies. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)326681
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