Book Description

This book covers the story of the Bozeman Trail - the shortcut through Wyoming and Montana that initiated the so called Indian Wars on the Northern Plains - from multiple perspectives. To the Indians it was a route of invasion that led to cultural devastation and an end to a way of life. To the immigrants it was a pathway through the wilderness that lead to new settlements; a chance for owning land and future prosperity. To help the reader appreciate the complex clash of cultures the author employs both his pen and camera, writing sections from the opposing perspectives. The book opens with an imaginary letter from an emigrant woman describing her journey over the trail. It is linked to Native American interpretation of the Fetterman massacre through the eyes of a young Cheyenne warrior. Along with the narratives are words of warriors and soldiers who were involved in the events; including Fetterman's boast that with "80 men I could ride right through the Sioux Nation." Other quotes include Sherman's outright advocacy of the genocide of the Indians after Fetterman's defeat. On the Indian side men like Crazy Horse, American Horse, Sitting Bull and Red Cloud said that the whites made more promises than they could remember, "?but they kept only one. They promised to take our land, and they took it." The second half of the book is about "reflections" of the Bozeman Trail. Giving those reflections are a barrage of tribal historians, descendants of famous warriors who fought along the trail, as well as offspring of emigrants who traveled over the Trail. Chief Alfred Red Cloud, a great-grandson of Chief Red Cloud, presents the Red Cloud family's oral history of Red Cloud?s War to close the Bozeman Trail, while contemporary scholars such as Susan Badger Doyle discuss the role John Bozeman played in the establishment of the trail - he actually pioneered less than a quarter of the route. Chapman's award-winning photography, mixed with archival images, ranges from wildlife and scenery along the trail to images of Indians and other people, both past and present, adding depth to the narrative.