The Way to the West

Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Kit Carson — three names that have taken on a particular resonance. These figures were real flesh and blood human beings, but each has become a symbol of something greater in the years since their death. Writing in 1903, Emerson Hough casts a historical eye over the lives and deeds of these three pioneers, bringing their stories to a fresh audience in a new century. Much of the enduring power of Boone, Crockett, and Carson in the American psyche can be traced back to Hough and his work.

Hough divides his book into four journeys, each representing a physical journey across a landscape and a metaphorical one toward a new age. In The Way Across the Alleghenies, we meet Daniel Boone and explore the mountains of West Virginia. In The Way to the Rockies, Crockett and his adventures are charted. The Way to the Pacific introduces us to Kit Carson and the pioneers of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. The final section in this fascinating tome deals with The Way Across the Pacific, opening the door to new frontiers in a new era.