Affiliated Ute Citizens of the State of Utah

  A Newer World: Kit Carson, John C. Frémont, and the Claiming of the American West  A Newer World: Kit Carson, John C. Frémont, and the Claiming of the American West — by David Roberts (history nonfiction) is a vivid, deeply researched narrative exploring the intertwined lives and expeditions of two towering figures in the U.S. westward expansion: frontiersman Kit Carson and explorer‑soldier John C. Frémont. Roberts follows their journeys from 1842 through the mid‑1850s into largely uncharted Western territories that helped define the emerging United States. Drawing on little‑known primary sources and his own travels in these landscapes, he recreates their harrowing treks — second in importance only to Lewis and Clark’s — and illustrates how their actions advanced America’s “Manifest Destiny.” Alongside tales of hardship and adventure, the book offers a thoughtful, modern‑sensitive critique of the cultural tragedy these expeditions inflicted on Native American peoples, port...

  Kit Carson: The Happy Warrior of the Old West: A Biography Kit Carson: The Happy Warrior of the Old West: A Biography — written by Stanley Vestal (the pen name of author Walter Stanley Campbell), this classic 1928 biography presents a detailed narrative of the life and adventures of Christopher “Kit” Carson , one of the most famous figures of the American frontier. Based on extensive research and personal stories from the landscapes and people of the Old West, Vestal traces Carson’s journey from inexperienced greenhorn to legendary frontiersman. The book covers his early years on the Santa Fe Trail, his time as a mountain man and fur trapper, his service as a wilderness guide (including for John C. Frémont), his military roles in the Mexican‑American War and the Civil War, and his later years as an Indian agent and rancher. Vestal’s biography portrays Carson as a brave, resourceful, and adaptable figure — known for his calm demeanor and skill in rugged wilderness life — reflec...

  Life In The Rocky Mountains by W. A. Ferris and Paul C. Philips Life in the Rocky Mountains: A Diary of Wanderings on the Sources of the Rivers Missouri, Columbia, and Colorado from February, 1830, to November, 1835 — authored originally as a firsthand journal by Warren Angus Ferris during his time as a trapper and explorer for the American Fur Company , this book offers a rich, detailed account of life, travel, and survival across the American West in the early 1830s. Ferris’s diary chronicles his nearly six‑year journey from Missouri into the vast Rocky Mountain wilderness, following the great rivers and interacting with Indigenous groups, mountain men, and the natural world in its unaltered state. The narrative was later edited and supplemented by Paul C. Phillips , who provides broader historical context, a biographical introduction to Ferris, and insights into early exploration and the fur trade. The book combines vivid descriptions of rugged terrain, wildlife, weather, h...

  Kit Carson's Own Story of His Life Kit Carson’s Own Story of His Life presents the firsthand account of the legendary American frontiersman Christopher “Kit” Carson as he dictated the story of his life in the 1850s. Beginning with his flight at age seventeen from his apprenticeship in Franklin, Missouri, Carson describes his entry into the West—joining a caravan bound for Santa Fe and launching a remarkable career as a trapper, hunter, guide, rancher, U.S. Army courier, Indian agent, and military officer. Over decades on the frontier, his exploits made him one of the most famed figures of the American West, often compared to Daniel Boone. In 1856, while living in Taos, New Mexico, an illiterate Carson dictated his memoir to Colonel and Mrs. D. C. Peters. Though this manuscript remained unpublished for decades, Kit Carson’s Own Story of His Life was first edited and brought to print by artist and writer Blanche C. Grant in 1926. This edition offers an unvarnished look at Carson’s ...

  Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866-1891 by  Robert M. Utley  Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866–1891 by Robert M. Utley is a detailed study of the post–Civil War U.S. Army and its role in the Indian Wars of the late nineteenth century. Utley focuses on the small, professional regular army that remained after the Civil War and was tasked with enforcing federal policy across the vast trans-Mississippi West. Scattered in isolated forts and operating with limited manpower and resources, these soldiers became the principal instrument of American expansion. The book examines the major campaigns between 1866 and 1891, including conflicts such as Red Cloud's War, the Great Sioux War, the Nez Perce War, and the long-running Apache Wars. Utley analyzes not only battlefield engagements but also the logistical and environmental challenges of frontier campaigning—long supply lines, harsh terrain, unreliable intelligence, and th...

  The Military and United States Indian Policy, 1865-1903  by Robert Wooster This scholarly work offers a critical and comprehensive analysis of how the United States military shaped and executed Indian policy in the decades following the Civil War. Rather than simply recount battles or troop movements, Wooster examines the institutional role of the U.S. Army, how military leaders influenced policy decisions, and the complex interaction between civilian government directives and military action on the western frontier. Wooster argues that the U.S. Army’s approach to Native American relations was driven by a combination of political pressures, strategic assumptions forged in the Civil War, and conflicting objectives — all of which contributed to inconsistent and often brutal policies toward Indigenous peoples. Through clear narrative and analysis, the book places military operations and policy formation in a broader national context, showing how strategic thinking, institutiona...

  A Brief History of Springville, Utah:  From Its First Settlement September 18, 1850, to the 18th Day of September, 1900: Fifty Years This work is a detailed, firsthand historical account of the early development of Springville, Utah, chronicling the first fifty years of the city’s existence — from its founding on September 18, 1850 by Mormon pioneer settlers to the closing days of the 19th century. Written and compiled by Don Carlos Johnson near the turn of the century, the book draws on local records, pioneer recollections, and community memories to paint a picture of life in a frontier settlement. Spanning roughly 124 pages, the narrative highlights the struggles and achievements of Springville’s earliest residents as they transformed rugged land in Utah Valley into a thriving agricultural and civic community. Topics covered include the arrival and organization of pioneer families, the development of local institutions and governance, the hardships of frontier life, the gr...