Book Notices

On the Way to Somewhere Else: European Sojourners in the Mormon West, 1834-1930.

Edited by Michael W. Homer. (Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2010.420 pp. Paper, $24.95.)

This book was originally published in 2006 in a limited hardback edition by The Arthur H. Clark Company as Volume 8 in the Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier Series. This paperback edition from the University of Utah Press makes available to a broader audience a fascinating collection of nearly fifty detailed observations about Mormons made primarily by French, German, Italian, and Scandinavian travelers from 1834 to 1930. In his review of the book in the Fall 2006 issue of the Quarterly, the late William Mulder described the book as “…a work full of surprises and meticulous documentation. The research has been prodigious….an arduous undertaking over several years…there’s a sense of joyous adventure as the editor strolled the bookstalls, shops, and archives wherever he found himself as he prospected for materials” (368). That prospecting yielded a rich treasure of accounts that shed important light on Utah and the Mormons.The author provides an informative introduction for each of the ten chapters and for each selection within the chapters.

The Autobiography of Hosea Stout.

Edited by Reed A. Stout, revised by Stephen L.Prince. (Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press and The Utah State HistoricalSociety, 2010. xv + 78 pp. Paper, $12.95.)

The Autobiography of Hosea Stout was first published in 1962 in four installments of the Utah Historical Quarterly 30 (1962). In a joint partnership between the Utah State Historical Society, and the University of Utah Press, this valuable account covers Stout’s life from his birth in 1810 until 1844 when he began his diary that was first published in two volumes in 1964 as On The Mormon Frontier:The Diary of Hosea Stout and republished in a single volume in 2009. Both editions are co-publications of the University of Utah Press and the Utah State Historical Society. Stephen L. Prince has revised the autobiography and penned a new introduction to accompany Reed Stout’s introduction to the 1962 Utah Historical Quarterly’s edition of Stout’s autobiography.

Orem.

By Jay H. Buckley, Chase Arnold, and the Orem Public Library. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010. 128 pp. Paper, $21.99.)

This volume in the Arcadia Images of America Series provides an illustrated history of the community named in 1900 for Walter C. Orem, president of the Salt Lake and Utah Electric Inter-Urban Railroad, after residents voted to form their own city rather than become a part of Provo City.The eight chapters illustrate early pioneers, fruit growing, the Nunn Power Plant, the railroad, Geneva Steel Plant, the establishment of the Central Utah Vocational School and its growth to become Utah Valley University in 2008, and the community’s relationship to Utah Lake, Provo River, and Mount Timpanogos. The last two chapters deal with events and individuals in the community, including a picture of Gary R. Herbert, who became Utah’s seventeenth governor in August 2009, his wife Jeannette, their six children, and their families.

Remembering Salt Lake City.

By Jeff Burbank. (Nashville: Turner Publishing Company, 2010. x + 134 pp. Paper, $16.95.)

Tremendous effort in selection and organization does not go unnoticed in Jeff Burbank’s Remembering Salt Lake City. Containing photographs from as far back as the 1890s, the book allows readers to navigate through a visual history of Salt Lake City’s people and places. Burbank compiles an array of photographs including recognizable buildings, unforgettable personalities, cultural capstones, and forgotten memories. The experience of longtime journalist Jeff Burbank combined with rare images from both private and public collections make Remembering Salt Lake City a great visual piece to own.

River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia.

By David L. Nicandri.(Washburn, ND: The Dakota Institute Press of the Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation, 2009. xvii + 349 pp. Paper, $18.95.)

David L. Nicandri focuses on an often over-looked piece of the well-known expedition of Lewis and Clark. River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia takes a deeper look at the essential goal of the explorers: to discover headwaters of the Columbia and the water route to the Pacific Ocean. Nicandri offers some different and refreshing views to the legendary expedition. William Clark’s role as primary geographic problem-solver, redefining Sacagawea’s contributions in Columbia River country, as well as a provocative perspective of Meriwether Lewis’ suicide in 1809 are all presented by Nicandri. River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia fills a significant gap in our understanding of the legendary expedition.

This Is The Place, But You Still Can’t Get Good Rye Bread! How The Sandacks Got to Utah and Lived to Tell About It.

By Rick Sandack. (Salt Lake City: Mischa Goss Press, 2009. xi + 247 pp., Paper, $20.00.)

What would a family history be like written by a comedian? Rick Sandack offers a fine example in this book about his parents, Wally and Helen Sandack. While the book provides plenty of chuckles and human interest accounts, it is also an insightful look at the Salt Lake City Jewish community, the World War II experience, politics, and race relations, among other topics. Wally Sandack was a popular radio broadcaster during the 1930s, Utah State Democratic Party Chairman, staunch supporter of the Kennedys, attorney for Utah labor, and friend of Judge Willis Ritter. Helen, the youngest child of well-known Utah clothier Arthur Frank and his wife Bertha, was a popular local actress and president of the University of Utah Theater Guild. One chapter in the book, “When God Spoke, Alberta Henry Listened,” highlights the association of the Utah civil rights leader with the Sandacks for whom she started working as a housekeeper in 1949.

Traces of Fremont Culture: Society and Rock Art in Ancient Utah.

By Steve R. Simms. Photographs by François Gohier. (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2010. x+ 132 pp. Paper $24.95.)

Stevens R. Simms, professor of anthropology at Utah State University, brings readers back to the ancient and complex culture of the Fremont. His research and collection of work provide a generous display of Fremont society, politics, and worldview.

As Simms states, “This book employs photography of Fremont rock art and artifacts to investigate the Fremont world… I refer to the society and ideology of Fremont people as they developed before the sixth century A.D. and continued to evolve into at least the fourteenth century”(3). Society and ideology of the Fremont are better understood through Simms’ observations of Fremont social and political organization and religion.

Add the captivating photographs by François Gohier to make this book both an interesting read as well as a visual treat.

Undermining Race: Ethnic Identities in Arizona Copper Camps, 1860-1920.

By Phylis Cancilla Martinelli. (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2009. x + 225 pp.Cloth, $50.00.)

Phylis Martinelli, a professor of sociology at St. Mary’s College of California, offers a look at the sociological issues of race, culture, and ethnic identities in Arizona’s copper industry. She covers all of the copper camps, but emphasizes Clifton-Morenci, Globe, and Bisbee. Stressing Italians in Arizona, the author provides insights into the relationship of Italians with Mexican Americans, and the interaction with other groups as well. Utah’s Carbon County is briefly mentioned as are other mining areas of the West. The study presents some interesting parallels in which to view the Utah experience.

Zion National Park.

By Tiffany Taylor. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008.127 pp. Paper, $21.99.)

Published on the eve of the centennial of Zion National Park (created first as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909 which became Zion National Park in 1919) this collection of photographs with accompanying captions illustrates the history of Zion National Park in four sections. The first, entitled “Treasury of the Gods,” depicts the magnificent natural scenery of the park. The other sections focus on human activity from early pioneers to National Park Service personnel, Civilian Conservation Corps workers, visitors, and temporary employees at what is Utah’s first national park.

Fort Douglas.

By Louwane Vansoolen. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009.127 pp. Paper, $21.99.)

Fort Douglas has played a key role in Utah’s history from its founding as Camp Douglas in 1862 to the present. Today the historical heart of the facility is the Fort Douglas Military Museum. Its curator, Louwane Vansoolen, has brought together in this volume more than 180 vintage images of the fort that trace its history from the 1860s until the end of World War II.The fort housed a reception center for inductees from Utah and surrounding states. The book includes a collection of photographs that depict the induction process experienced by thousands of soldiers at the fort. Other photographs from the nineteenth century and World War I era are equally interesting.

Uintah.

By Sue Bybee. (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010. 127 pp. Paper, $21.99.)

The town of Uintah in eastern Weber County was first settled by Mormon pioneers in 1850. In 1869, as the Union Pacific railroad pushed westward toward the joining of the rails at Promontory Summit, Uintah became a boomtown with more than a hundred businesses and a population of nearly five thousand. The boom did not last long, and few stayed. Those who did, their descendants, later arrivals, and life in the community are depicted in this illustrated history.

Arena Legacy:The Heritage of American Rodeo.

By Richard C. Rattenbury.(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010. xiv + 416 pp. Cloth $65.00.)

From its earliest days as a spontaneous contest between cowboys to it is fanatic following in contemporary times the rodeo has been a regular part of American culture for well over a hundred years. Richard Rattenbury has written an impressive volume documenting the historic culture that embodies the spirit of the American West. A combination of his well researched and expansive writing with a massive showcase of collections from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum has made this volume into a great read.

Rattenbury captures the growth of this sport by showcasing the men, women, and venues that defined the rodeo. As a curator of History at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, his access and knowledge of rodeo apparel and equipment helps to add the expansive visuals to this book. Arena Legacy:The Heritage of American Rodeo is a tribute to a western American sport and will be appreciated by rodeo fanatics and western enthusiasts alike.

Red Cloud’s War:The Bozeman Trail, 1866-1868.

By John D. McDermott.(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010. 2 Vol. xx + 651pp. Cloth, $75.00.Limited Edition Cloth, $225.00.)

John D. McDermott has compiled a truly definitive history of the Bozeman Trial. This two volume set describes, in detail, the definitive history of the Bozeman Trail from the discovery of gold in Montana to the aftermath of the frightful decision of Captain William J. Fetterman to disobey orders and attack retreating Lakota Sioux,Arapahos, and Cheyennes.

McDermott gives a detailed account of the battles that resulted from the forceful pressures of both United States Army and also Montana bound settlers. Red Cloud, Oglala chief, led a series of attacks to protect their land and hunting grounds that were being threatened by American settlement. McDermott’s attempts to capture the history of the struggle and small clashes of Red Cloud resistance prove successful.

Red Cloud’s War:The Bozeman Trail, 1866-1868 gives a strong narrative and also includes a thoughtful conclusion. McDermott’s work demonstrates a tale of hubris and military setbacks by the U.S. Army. His conclusion describes the consequences of the Treaty of 1868 and the Northern Plains tribes to further delay the ultimate reckoning that would come just a few years later.

Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River.

By George B. Handley. (Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2010. xvii + 236 pp. Paper, $24.95)

George B Handley, a professor of humanities and comparative literature at Brigham Young University, has composed his perspectives on the natural world within the Mormon religious experience to create a work reminiscent of Wallace Stegner, Stephen Trimble, and Amy Irvine. Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River combines elements of theology, environmental and local history, to give the reader an interesting perspective on the role of one river and its surrounding beauty.

Handley’s description of the Provo River is metaphysical. His connections between the natural world and the Mormon faith’s openness to science allow Handley to enjoy the Provo River for its aesthetic beauty and as a deep spiritual experience.With his poetic writing, Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River is a enjoyable read and is a must-have for any spectator of nature.

Historic Photos of Outlaws of the Old West.

By Larry Johnson. (Nashville: Turner Publishing Company, 2010. x + 206 pp. Hardcover, $39.95.)

For generations, outlaws of the old west have remained an uneasy affection in the United States. We are both compelled by and apprehensive about the myths the criminals embodied.Yet our fascination still remains.This is a book for those who are trying to understand the characters that are both legendary and less infamous. Photographs depicting the likes of Jesse James, the Younger Brothers, Billy the Kid, and others are accompanied with back stories that may be new to the reader. Johnson has collected images of bustling towns, notorious criminals, and the western stage in which their drama was played. Johnson’s research denounces certain myths of the outlaws but still manages to embrace what Americans view as the West; a raw arena of new populations, towns, and the characters that helped define an era.The images will lead from fascination to surrealism as portraits of fallen outlaws challenge the almost near immortality, the bandits and their reputations have instilled