This Reckless Breed of Men: The Trappers and Fur Traders of the Southwest

A very approachable book on the fur trade era in the southwestern U.S. Whereas some historians can and do overburden the reader with a plethora of facts and footnotes, this is not the case with "Reckless Breed of Men". Dr. Cleland includes two excellent chapters on both of Jedediah Smith's southwestern explorations from 1826-1828 along with chapters on other influential trappers of the times, James Ohio Pattie, Ewing Young, Joseph Walker and members of the Hudson's Bay Company, Peter Skene Ogden and John Work. Also included are chapters on the Sante Fe and California trade. This is a well written, informative book which illustrates the many hardships and misfortunes these men endured during their exploits into unknown territories.