Ep. 661: So You Want To Be A Mountain Man

This book is part of a series focusing on American hunting history. It delves into the Rocky Mountain beaver trade, exploring the lives and challenges faced by mountain men during that era. The book provides detailed accounts of their hunting, trapping, and interactions with Native Americans. It also covers the harsh realities of life on the frontier, including high mortality rates and makeshift medical practices. The narrative offers a vivid portrayal of a pivotal period in American history.

In 'American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon', Steven Rinella takes readers across the continent to explore the buffalo’s past, present, and future. The book visits sites such as the Bering Land Bridge, buffalo jumps used by Native Americans, and the Detroit Carbon works, a plant that processed buffalo bones into various products. Rinella’s storytelling combines outdoor adventure with historical, biological, and environmental observations, highlighting the significant role the buffalo has played in shaping American identity.

This book by Evan S. Connell offers a meticulously researched and balanced view of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It delves into the lives and perspectives of key figures such as General George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other participants. Connell's narrative shifts between the viewpoints of the cavalry soldiers, the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors, and civilians, providing a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the battle. The book corrects simplistic and historically inaccurate views of the event, presenting a more complex human drama and examining broader themes such as the American frontier experience and the conflict between expansionist policies and indigenous self-determination.