1 comments about City of Dust: A Cement Company Town in the Land of Tom Sawyer (Missouri).

1. My Aunt was born and raised in Illasco Missouri where the book takes place. Her Father worked for the cement company in the book. I gave it to her for mothers day it brought tears to her eyes as well as many happy memories.

1 comments about With Pen and Pencil on the Frontier in 1851: The Diary and Sketches of Frank Blackwell Mayer (Borealis Books).

1. Frank Mayer's book not only gives us a written enthnographic view of the frontier life but also a "photographic" view of life on the frontier in North America. His book is a fingerprint in time for a place that will never be seen again.

1 comments about Missouri Genealogical Research.

1. The series by Mr. Schweitzer covering a number of states is an excellent starting point for most researchers as well as a handy reference to have. Mr. Schweitzer begins with a brief historical overview of the state's settlement, geography, industries, migration and the like which helps to paint a picture of what likely drew your ancestors there. Mr. Schweitzer's writing style is very plain and direct and he includes a wonderful county by county listing of resources for each state as well as overall statewide resources and records available at the Federal level. There are undoubtedly books that go into greater detail on each state but the Schweitzer series are a great starting point and well worth the money if you're researching there. His titles usually have to be ordered at local booksellers so Amazon is your best bet at getting these quickly and painlessly. One particular note is that this title was written years ago and some telephone numbers and addresses have changed and some groups or societies may be dormant or closed. Additionally Mr. Schweitzer does not make reference to internet sources or email addresses, which is just as well as they tend to get out-of-date quite quickly. I've gotten considerable use out of this title on Missouri and it continues to be very helpful.

1 comments about The German Element in St. Louis : A Translation from German of Ernst D. Kargau's St. Louis in Former Years : A Commemorative History of the German Element.

1. Whether youur family is of german descendency, or not, you'll find this a valuable tool researching the german dominated St. Louis of the late 1800s.

2 comments about The Cattle Towns.

1. "One of the most intelligent, interesting, and worthwhile contributions to the field of Western history in some time. [The author] has managed to say something rather basic about American culture in general." -- William H. Goetzmann. "Excellent . . . readable and persuasive. . . . One of the most refreshing and rewarding approaches to be applied to western history topics in many years, for [the author] is asking basic questions about social process and the nature of urban society." -- Howard Roberts Lamar.



2. In The Cattle Towns, Robert Dykstra demonstrates how five Kansas towns--Dodge City, Ellsworth, Caldwell, Abilene, and Wichita--developed through a complex set of conflicts that bred progress. Instead of adding to the frontier myth of wild and violent cattle towns, Dykstra builds upon studies of urban history and applies them to the developing frontier to create a local, social history that has national relevance.
   
   Success or failure of a town depended on a number of variables including location, promotion, and people. Location as related to the county center, railroad lines, and especially for this study, cattle trails, played major roles in determining town futures. Advertisements in newspapers located between the Kansas cattle towns and the source of the cattle herds in Texas lured the trail drivers north. The most important element in the future of the cattle towns, however, was the local population.
   
   Although the town newspapers often gave the impression that residents of the town and surrounding areas spoke in a unified voice, that was usually not the case. Disagreements between businessmen and rural folk, ranchers and farmers, natives and foreign-born, and reformers and vice practitioners were frequent. Dykstra contradicts earlier studies that claimed successful town development on mutual cooperation and shows how progress was made through such differences.
   
   The differences over town policy provided a forum for area residents to discuss the future vision of their town. Whether the discussion was over alcohol, gambling, prostitution, or the movement of the splenic flu deadline, the result was an exchange of ideas focused on improving the town. Town businessmen, for example, sympathized with the reformers who sought to improve the moral values of the town by eliminating vices, but not at the financial cost of losing the trail drivers who were attracted by such vices and spent their funds liberally throughout town.
   
   Due to the advancement of technology and the progression of settlers into the once open Kansas frontier, the cattle towns shifted their focus from cattle to the more consistent industry of agriculture. The westward movement of settlers altered the routes of cattle drives away from towns like Abilene and Dodge City and railroads continued to expand their coverage, removing these towns from the cattle industry. Despite the moral vices that accompanied it, the cattle industry between 1867 and 1885 helped provide an immediate economic base that developed towns and laid the groundwork for future success.
   
   Utilizing information from period newspapers, letters, maps, government documents, and previous studies, Dykstra creates a well-written study that explores urban aspirations and rivalry in a frontier setting. By examining the motivations of individuals and groups in the cattle towns, Dykstra has made a valuable contribution to town building on the changing frontier.

No comments about Wichita: The Early Years, 1865-80.

1 comments about Royal Family, Royal Lovers: King James of England and Scotland.

1. King James, sponsor of the famous Authorized "King James" Bible, is often lauded as defender of the faith by some who worship his 1611 publication as the be-all and end-all of all English Bible translations. Many hagiographic works abound, but Bergeron's isn't one of those.

   While writing his Basilicon Doron to attack the sin of sodomy, James himself used his royal position to shield himself from such a charge against himself. Bergeron digs up the historical dirt and shares a contemporary's view of the hypocrisy, a diary entry in 1622 by one Simonds D'Ewes of a conversation he'd had with a friend:
   "Of things I discoursed with him that weere secrett as of the sinne of sodomye, how frequente it was in this wicked cittye, and if God did not provide some wonderfull blessing against it, wee could not but expect some horrible punishment for it; especially it being as wee had probable cause to feare, a sinne in the prince as well as the people, which God is for the most part the chastiser of himselfe, because noe man else indeed dare reprove or tell him them of ther faults." (Bergeron, p. 183)

   Many more pieces of evidence are to be found in those pages, and what emerges from Bergeron's picture is that of a great man who was both King of England and Scotland and quite human.

1 comments about Missouri Irish, The Original History of the Irish in Missouri, including St. Louis, Kansas City and Trails West.

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RD5S2J1QQM2EH Here is a slide show based upon illustrations from this book, along with a lost Irish American Song, published in Missouri in earlier days. Based upon sheet music discovered in this book. Noted Missouri Irish singer, Peter Reilly Adams performs this forgotten song from nearly a century ago.

2 comments about The Civil War in Missouri, Day by Day, 1861 to 1865.

1. I'm a huge fan of Missouri history and Civil War history and love this book. I haven't completely finished reading it yet...but it seems well researched and detailed. A must have for the Missouri history or Civil War in Missouri researcher.



2. My interest in the Civil War and study of it primarily relates to the events in and around Missouri between 1855 and 1865. I have dozens of books on the Civil War and this is one of my favorites. I initially read it cover to cover, and since that time have often returned to it to read specific 'days/dates' to research references made in other Civil War readings. If you're interested in the details of Civil War in Missouri, this book is a must have. I own several of the Bartel's civil war books and all are well worth the money for those interested in reading about more than the conventional treatises that focus on the 'big/major' battles and actions taking place in the East and Southern states.

3 comments about True Tales of Old-Time Kansas: Revised Edition.

1. Here's one for the history buffs out there. Kids and adults, read about frontier life in Kansas. This is an excellent addition to any library collection. -Native Kansan



2. I live in New york on the Island. I've always, always had a fascination with the old west, and in particular the state of Kansas.. even though I haven't yet been there. For Christmas this year, my mum gave me among other things, an actual Kansas license plate along with this book. I started reading it right away and it has been entirely engrossing. Very interesting individual tales, some are pretty short, so this is the perfect book to read while on the train. I love it.



3. Very good book. I have had this book for years and purchased for a friend.