The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier

“A uniquely compelling look at the dynamism and conflict that defined the West” (Booklist), shattering the traditional frontier myth that has dominated popular American culture.

“A richly layered portrait of the 19th-century frontier” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), The Westerners is an epic counter-history of the American West told in two interwoven stories. The first reveals the captivating lives of women and men moving through the American West—Indigenous peoples, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, and Canadian and Asian immigrants—in the 19th century. The second tracks the attempts of many Americans to erase these westerners from history, through the formation of a national mythology that lionized individualism and conquest and celebrated white settlers traveling west in search of prosperity.

This vivid, eye-opening account is a new history of the frontier, told through the lives of seven extraordinary individuals: Sacajawea, not just Lewis and Clark’s guide but an explorer who forged her own path; Jim Beckwourth, a biracial fur trader whose sharp cultural insight made him an important player in western geopolitics; María Gertrudis Barceló, a Hispana gambling saloon owner who broke every stereotype to become the wealthiest woman in Santa Fe; Ovando Hollister, a gold miner, soldier, and newspaperman who championed western expansion; Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne chief whose courageous leadership secured his people’s future; Canadian immigrant Ella Watson, who strove to become a rancher in a male-dominated world; and the defiant Polly Bemis, a Chinese immigrant who carved out a life in Idaho despite federal expulsion efforts.

Highlighting the perseverance and ingenuity of communities that have otherwise been forgotten or erased, this important book challenges us to reimagine who we are and where we came from. “Nelson’s deft hand at writing draws the reader in with heartfelt and engaging storytelling” (The Colorado Sun).