The Glorious Quest of Chief Washakie: Chief of the Shoshones

Most of us non-native Americans know the names of a few American Indians mainly because of their accomplishments in battlefield. Sitting Bull, Geronimo and Crazy Horse, and Chief Joseph to name a few. There are a couple of other names that we know mainly because of a single event or an accomplishment. Sacajawea was known for guiding Lewis and Clark - and for her new dollar coin.Chief Washakie of the Shoshones was a valiant warrior but he was also a leader and statesman who guided his people from the simpler times of the early 19th century into the 20th century. The Chief recognized early that his world was changing with the settling of his West buy european immigrants. He knew that, while he could not keep the settlers out, he could influence his people's destiny. This book is a personal look at this unique character. It is written by decendants of Chief Washakie. While it lacks the detail of an academic treatise, it conveys the spirit and culture of another time and place. One thing that repeatedly struck me is, in the scheme of things, this was so recent. Chief Washakie came to lead the Shoshones about 160 years ago. He died in 1900 at the age of 102.Another aspect that I enjoyed was that Chief Washakie encountered so many of the characters that we identify with the settling of the West: Kit Carson, Scajawea, Jim Bridger and many others.If you are interested in a historical treatment of Chief Washakies life with lots of dates and maps, this isn't it. If you are interested in a book with reverence and feeling for someone who is relatively unknown yet perhaps the greatest leader in the history of the American West, read this book.