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Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West by Dale L. Walker, John Jakes

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All of history is mystery, Dale L. Walker says, and he proves his point in this lively, humorous-and rational-approach to the West's greatest puzzles. Did Davy Crockett, for example, go down swinging Ol' Betsy, defending the ramparts of the Alamo-or was he captured? Who is buried in Jesse James's grave? Was the man Pat Garrett shot that night really Billy the Kid? How did Black Bart, the gentleman bandit, disappear? Did Sacajawea, the famous Bird Woman who scouted for Lewis and Clark, die twice? The possibilities unfold as Walker brings together little-known facts and the elusive connections that shed light on the biggest enigmas of the American West. Editorial Reviews Dale L. Walker's Legends and Lies is a masterwork of its kind, bringing serious scholarship and poetic prose to a subject that has too often received only tabloid treatment. -Loren D. Estleman Not only good reading, but good history. -Roundup Magazine A stunning accomplishment. -The San Antonio Express News A colorful, accurate, fast romp through some of the remaining mysteries of what was once the American frontier. -The Salem Statesman Journal - From the Publisher A collection of strange and intriguing tales about famous characters of American Western history. The author's research has come upon many mysteries that resist ultimate solution. Prolific writer of the Old West, Walker (a columnist for the Rocky Mountain News) examines the life and death of Davy Crockett, Meriwether Lewis and his Indian guide Sacajawea, Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Boston Corbett, the soldier who killed John Wilkes Booth, Ambrose Bierce, Custer, Crazy Horse and the Mormon leaders who instigated the mass murder of a wagon train of gentile men, women and children passing through Mormon land on their way to California. Walker, trying to fill gaps in the historical records by exposition of logical reasoning, finds conflicting testimonies, many rumors, bizarre tales and conspiracy theories, and also credible accounts of the deaths of these larger-than-life characters. Despite several Mexican eyewitness accounts of Crockett's death at the Alamo, Walker concludes that he died as he lived-heroically. The mysterious suicide of Meriwether Lewis opens several questions-did he know too much about the treacherous General Wilkinson and the unconvicted Aaron Burr? The song and story of Jesse James as a folk hero Robin Hood is demolished by Walker as he argues that James was a murderer-robber who stole from both the rich and the poor and kept the proceeds. He stresses the detective-story aspects behind official history. Legends and myths grow around famous figures, some true, some exaggerated, some lies that add to mysteries, but he argues that legends tend to live on, whether true or false and that myths and fictions often overcome facts. The stories are absorbing and Walker's commentaries are instructive. They should entertain readers of American Western history and mystery fans. - Kirkus Reviews
Publication Details

Title: Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West

Author(s):

  • Dale L. Walker
  • John Jakes

Illustrator:

Binding: Paperback

Published by: Tor Publishing Group: , 1999

Edition:

ISBN: 9780312868482 | 0312868480

320 pages. 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.72(d)

  • ENG- English
Book Condition: Good

Cover worn. Spine faded
3471a

Pickup available at Book Express Warehouse

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