All traces of Captain Caldwell�s Potawatomi settlement and the Mormon safe haven of Kanesville were gone from the Indian Creek hollow by 1900, when Council Bluffs already seemed a 20th-century city of bright lights, steam, and smokestacks. The old western trails and steamboats disappeared as the city on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Omaha became a major American railroad center and the industrial and commercial hub of southwest Iowa. Vineyards and orchards surrounded a growi...

A detailed look at the warriors of the Native Americans who lived around the Great Lakes.This book details the growth of the European Fur trade in North America and how it drew the Native Americans who lived in the Great Lakes region, notably the Huron, Dakota, Sauk and Fox, Miami and Shawnee tribes into the colonial European Wars.During the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812, these tribes took sides and became important all...

With A Death in Wichita (originally published as The Wichita Divide ) New York Times bestselling author Stephen Singular offers an in-depth account of the life and death of a controversial doctor, the debate that sparked his assassination, and the place where two Americas collideOn May 31, 2009, Scott Roeder walked into a Wichita church, drew a pistol, and shot Dr. George Tiller at point blank range. Tiller, who ...

The history of Norwegian settlement in the United States has often been told through the eyes of prominent men, while the women are imagined in the form of O. E. Rølvaag's fictionalized heroine Beret Holm, who made the best of life on the frontier but whose gaze seemed ever fixed on her long-lost home. The true picture is more complex. In an area spanning the Midwest and rural West and urban areas such as Seattle, Chicago, and Brooklyn, Norwegian American women found themselves in varied c...

The Donald Ross-designed golf course at the Elks and Wyandot Country Clubs was celebrated as one of Ohio's best from its ballyhooed beginnings in 1923 until its closing in 1952. During its too-short history, the course and the two clubs associated with it overcame many obstacles, including a lack of money and resources during the Great Depression and lack of materials and manpower during World War II. Home to the 1931 Ohio Amateur and the 1948 Columbus Invitational, its membership roll inc...

The life of a crusading federal judge who stood up and fought for “the little guy”This is the story of Miles Lord (1919–2016), who rose from humble beginnings on Minnesota’s Iron Range to become one of the most colorful and powerful judges in the country, described as “an unabashed Prairie populist” and “a live-wire slayer of corporate behemoths.” He cut a wide swath through history on his path to the bench: coming of age alongside a cadre of young Midwestern socia...

The Bah�� House of Worship sits on the shores of Lake Michigan, just 5 miles north of Chicago. How it came to be built in the heart of the United States is a story that begins with the World�s Columbian Exposition in 1893. Inspired by news of the first Bah�� Temple in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, members of the Chicago Bah�� House of Spirituality drafted a petition in 1903 asking for permission to begin their own. Fifty years later, in 1953, a completed Bah�� House of Worship was dedicated in W...

Professor Mike Donovan, Battling Nelson�"The Durable Dane," and "Stockyards" Harold Smith� their stories are as colorful as their names. Chicago�s boxing history is as exciting and unpredictable as any prize fight within the ring. Some of the most memorable bouts�great, infamous or otherwise�took place in the city�s clubs, parks and arenas, and Chicago has seen its share of champions and top contenders over the years. The Gans-McGovern fight in 1900�the "Big Fix"�set the sport back 25 year...

During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors-many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures-were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ral...

Stories and photos that bring the spooky history of Western Michigan to life . . .Western Michigan is home to some of the state's most picturesque places—and also some of its most chilling tales. Ghost story researcher Amberrose Hammond exposes the mysterious and spirit-ridden world of many beloved Michigan destinations as she skillfully weaves narratives of a world unseen by most. From the lingering spirit forever working in the Grand Theatre and the band of melon...

In Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan: Golden Memories, author Lee Griffin illustrates the importance of cultivating the memories of generations past, and looking positively toward the future as one grows older. The book contains the voices of prominent community members who reside in Kalamazoo and the surrounding areas, including Portage, Richland, Gull Lake, Galesburg, Augusta, Hickory Corners, Lawton, Allegan, and Marshall. Their contributions to the region's growth are varied, from a loc...

Grand Haven is nestled in wooded dunes and surrounded by the waters of Lake Michigan, Spring Lake, and the Grand River. Under the leadership of Rev. William Montague Ferry, the first settlers arrived from Mackinac Island November 2, 1834. In recognition of the port's large, accommodating and safe harbor, Rix Robinson, fur trader and land holder, platted and named the town April 15, 1835. The approximately 200 photographs in this book are from the archives of the Tri-Cities Historical Museu...