The Westerners;: A roundup of pioneer reminiscences

Here's a marvelous oral history collection of tape-recorded reminiscences of old-time westerners who had experienced first-hand the last days of pioneer life near the end of the nineteenth century. Myers puts it all down in the words of the narrators themselves, and this makes for exciting and authentic reading. The range of subject matter related by the interviewees is great and includes recollections of the cowboy life; growing up in small, isolated towns; prospecting for gold; some famous (and not so famous) outlaws and western justice; and a deep appreciation for the beauty of the land. Two dozen reminiscences are included, and there's not a dull one in the bunch. Myers was lucky (as he acknowledges in the preface) to find such outstanding raconteurs and that he was able to capture their stories before they were lost to history. Interesting and informative from beginning to end.

`The Westerners' is a unique collection of twenty four first hand accounts that chronicles the later period of the Western frontier, from roughly 1880 to about 1920. The old timers who were interviewed (in the late 1960s) to make this book were mostly the children of the original frontiersmen and settlers - the first generation of Americans born on the frontier. Their stories cover myriad aspects of life on the late frontier, including cattle ranching, stage coach stations, banking, law, law enforcement, journalism, commerce, mining, railroading, and the early years of the forest service. Together, these reminiscences help to fill the often blank gap that lies between the initial frontier period and the beginning of the modern era when the western territories became states. A couple of the old timers recall childhood meetings with famous lawman Bat Masterson and outlaw Butch Cassidy, and several tell tales of run ins with Big Bill Haywood and his militant unionist of the Western Federation of Miners, but for the most part these are stories of the unheralded common folk who helped to turn a wild frontier into prosperous country. John Myers Myers did an excellent job in his selection and editing of these two dozen reminiscences. He briefly annotated each tale, but for the most part, he did what a good editor of any collection must do - he chose the best material available and then got out of the way to let the stories be told. The resulting collection should be of interest to anyone who is interested in the development and history of the American West. It has my recommendation. Theo Logos