Category: American West

Dale Morgan was a historian whose work underpinned “New Mormon History,” bringing academic methodology to the study of Latter-day Saints. He championed evidence-based research and mentored figures like Juanita Brooks and Fawn Brodie. Many of his own Latter-day Saint history projects went unfinished, but Morgan completed notable works such as a study on the fur trade and the mapping of the Trans Mississippi West. In this interview, Richard Saunders discusses the life and legacy of Dale L. Morgan.

Jim Bridger is one of the most influential figures in the history of the American West. A new biography by Jerry Enzler sheds light on key events from the mountain man’s life, including Jim Bridger’s relationship with Brigham Young and his role (or lack thereof) in the Donner Party’s demise. In this interview, biographer Jerry Enzler discusses some tall tales and influential moments from James Bridger’s life.

Marcus Whitman was a missionary in the 19th century who played an important role in the development of the American West. He and his wife, Narcissa Whitman, have been revered since perishing in an 1847 Indian attack. But the story isn’t what it seems. Blaine Harden tells the startling account as he expounds on his latest book, Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West.

Historian Richard W. Etulain is a specialist in history and literature of the American West, and the author of Thunder in the West: The Life and Legends of Billy the Kid. His book is one of several contributions by the press to unique scholarship about the American West, such as Jerry Enzler’s account of Jim Bridger and Brigham Young.