My Sixty Years on the Plains


Book Description

In his concise, richly detailed memoir My Sixty Years on the Plains fur-trapper W. T. Hamilton - also known as 'Wildcat Bill' - gives the reader a first-hand account of life outdoors in the Old West. From trailblazing to trading with Indians, Hamilton relates how a mountain man relied on his wits and specialized knowledge in order survive the inhospitable environments.




My Sixty Years on the Plains


Book Description

In these days, when the experience of living right up against nature are fast becoming a thing of the past, the story is of special interest. The mountaineers as a class were unique. Life itself had little value in their estimation. They were adventurous and fearless men, who pushed the boundaries of what it meant to be alive and thought nothing of laying down their lives in the service of a friend. Theirs was a brotherhood in which one man’s life was entirely at the service of any of its members, regardless of friendship or even of acquaintanceship. Often equipped with nothing but their skill and endurance, a horse, a gun or two, and enough provisions to see them until tomorrow, they set out to make their way through a vast wilderness that held all the terrors of the unknown. William "Bill" Hamilton recounts his life as a free trapper and mountain man in the last days of their remarkable time. Hamilton's writing is simple and straightforward, a mirror image of the man himself. If you want an excellent autobiography of a hard man who trapped the creeks and streams of the Far West, lived with and fought against Indians, helped settlers come West to make a new life, this is the book for you. Drop that paperback Western and pickup the real story—history with the bark still on it. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.




My Sixty Years on the Plains


Book Description




My Sixty Years on the Plains


Book Description




Crow Killer


Book Description

The saga of the famed mountain man and Indian-hater. The film Jeremiah Johnson was based on this work.




My Sixty Years on the Plains


Book Description

Excerpt from My Sixty Years on the Plains: Trapping, Trading, and Indian Fighting In writing this book the author had only one end in view, that of relating in a simple way his experiences as a mountaineer. In these days, when such experiences are




The Texas Ranger


Book Description




Fifty Years on the Trail


Book Description




My Sixty Years on the Plains, Trapping, Trading, and Indian Fighting


Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...and reached the post with a few furs, which we traded to a gentlemanly old Scotchman who was in charge. He bought my pinto pony, paying me fifty dollars in cash. He told us that there were no trapping outfits in the Blue Mountains nor on the streams, but that the Howlack band of Bannocks were camped on Camas Prairie. This is known to-day as Grand Rond Valley in Oregon. This band of Bannocks were not inclined to be friendly, and he advised us to cross the mountains to Walla Walla on the north side. This we did not care to do, as the streams between the post and Camas Prairie were full of beaver. We trapped all of them, and it was not until we reached Camas Prairie that we came in contact with the Bannocks. Here we ran on to their village of one hundred lodges. The chief met us with a strong escort of painted and feathered warriors and commanded us to halt. This we did, not at his pleasure, but at our own. He asked us in signs what we were doing in his country, and in an insulting manner demanded several ponies. He also ordered us to unpack our goods, as he wished to see what we had. These demands we ignored. The Bannocks were well up in sign-language and most of the chief's speech was understood by our men, all of it by myself. The chief was given to understand that he would receive no ponies, and that we would not unpack. If he wished to smoke and be friends, good. If not, he must get out of our way, as we were going on, and we claimed the right to trap in all streams either in the mountains or on the plains. When the chief heard this he appeared to be thunder-struck. The Bannocks had a great many Hudson Bay flint-locks, bows and arrows, and a few lances, mostly carried for ornament, but used also to spear a fallen foe. Our men were...




My Sixty Years on the Plains


Book Description

Bonded Leather binding