("In its simple and disarming style, it is a great piece of reporting on a rugged frontier."--San Francisco Chronicle "The book is a jewel case of keen perception, social analysis, and masterful description for this era."--Chicago Tribune In 1873 Isabella Bird embarked on a trip that called for the high level of stamina expected of an explorer or anthropologist. But the middle-aged Englishwoman who toured the Colorado Rockies on horseback--alone, for the most part--was neither of these. Painting an intimate portrait of the "Wild West," she wrote eloquently of flora and fauna, isolated settlers and assorted refugees from civilization, vigilance committees, lynchings, and the crude manners--yet gentle civility--among the men she encountered in the wilderness. A thoughtfully written, captivating narrative that provides a vibrant account of a bygone era and the people that forever changed the face of the American frontier. Unabridged reprint of 1882 edition.

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