Published in 1898 in Toronto, this stirring account of life in the Canadian Northwest at the turn of the twentieth century includes stories of Aboriginal life, camping, dogs, buffalo, epidemic, path blazing, horse thievery, gambling, polygamy, wolves, hunting, storytelling, broiled owlets, schooling in the "university of frontier life," missionaries, war parties, bear ribs, feasting and fasting, wonderful mirages, wild rhubarb, death of a friend, road making, a plunge into icy water. The author, John McDougall, was a third-generation Canadian from Upper Canada. He spent his life working, playing, and earning the trust of the Aboriginal people.

In this lavishly illustrated volume, Richard E. McCabe, Bart W. O'Gara and Henry M. Reeves explore the fascinating relationship of pronghorn with people in early America, from prehistoric evidence through the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. The only one of fourteen pronghorn-like genera to survive the great extinction brought on by human migration into North America, the pronghorn has a long and unique history of interaction with humans on the continent, a history that until now has largely remained unwritten. With nearly 150 black-and-white photographs, 16 pages of color illustrations, plus original artwork by Daniel P. Metz, Prairie Ghost: Pronghorn and Human Interaction in Early America tells the intriguing story of humans and these elusive big game mammals in an informative and entertaining fashion that will appeal to historians, biologists, sportsmen and the general reader alike.

This interpretation and compendium of historical fire accounts in the northern Great Plains provides resource managers with background information to justify the study or use of fire in management and provides a reference of historic fire accounts for those without ready access to major library collections. Historical accounts of fire are critiqued to aid interpreting the compendium accounts. An interpretation is included by the author.

Though many often think of frontier life in the United States of America, "Forest, Lake and Prairie: Twenty Years of Frontier Life in Western Canada—1842-62" by John McDougall brings readers right into the harsh, wild, and adventurous life that was expected of the Canadian frontier. Fans of US frontier stories will find familiar elements with the settlers who called Canada home. However, it would be unwise to assume the two experiences are identical, especially not after reading the sometimes harrowing tale weaved by McDougall.

As a leader, Maskepetoon was respected for his skill as a hunter, his generosity and his wisdom. He was considered a “lucky” chief, a man who found buffalo on the edge of the plains, who avoided unnecessary conflicts with enemies but protected his camp like a mother grizzly her cubs. And in the turbulent mid-1800s, that’s exactly the kind of leader the Rocky Mountain Cree needed. Maskepetoon followed his own inclinations for peace and friendship. He formed allegiances with missionaries and guided settlers through the Rockies. Yet, if necessary, he could kill with impunity, rule with an iron hand and show no mercy where he believed none should be shown. He transformed his people from woodland trappers to buffalo hunters and from woodsmen to prairie dwellers, always keeping their interests at heart. Hugh A. Dempsey’s account of the legendary chief and his life includes insights from the Cree people of today, including descendants of Maskepetoon, and new information on the chief of the same name who lived in the United States during this time.

Sixteen papers by foremost American, Canadian, and English historical geographers examine the sources of Imagery of the American and Canadian Great Plains, the processes of image formation, and the behavioral implications of various kinds of images. The papers deal with exploratory images of the Plains, resource evaluation in the prefrontier West, governmental appraisal of the western frontier, real and imagined climatic hazards, the desert and garden myths, and adaptations to reality.

The near disappearance of the American bison in the nineteenth century is commonly understood to be the result of over-hunting, capitalist greed, and all but genocidal military policy. This interpretation remains seductive because of its simplicity; there are villains and victims in this familiar cautionary tale of the American frontier. But as this volume of groundbreaking scholarship shows, the story of the bison’s demise is actually quite nuanced. Bison and People on the North American Great Plains brings together voices from several disciplines to offer new insights on the relationship between humans and animals that approached extinction. The essays here transcend the border between the United States and Canada to provide a continental context. Contributors include historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, paleontologists, and Native American perspectives. This book explores the deep past and examines the latest knowledge on bison anatomy and physiology, how bison responded to climate change (especially drought), and early bison hunters and pre-contact trade. It also focuses on the era of European contact, in particular the arrival of the horse, and some of the first known instances of over-hunting. By the nineteenth century bison reached a “tipping point” as a result of new tanning practices, an early attempt at protective legislation, and ventures to introducing cattle as a replacement stock. The book concludes with a Lakota perspective featuring new ethnohistorical research. Bison and People on the North American Great Plains is a major contribution to environmental history, western history, and the growing field of transnational history.