The Reader's Encyclopedia of the American West

Download or read book The Reader's Encyclopedia of the American West written by Howard Roberts Lamar and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 1328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American West is an evocative term that conjures up images of cowboys and Indians, covered wagons, sheriffs and outlaws, and endless prairies as well as contemporary images ranging from national parks to the oil, aerospace, and film industries. In addition, the West encompasses not only the past and present of the area west of the Mississippi but also the frontier as it moved across each of the fifty American states, offering the promise of freedom and a better life to pioneers and settlers in every era. This authoritative, comprehensive encyclopedia is a rich source of information about these many characteristics of the American West, real and imaginary, old and new, stretching from coast to coast and throughout the country's history and culture.