THE BEGINNING OF THE WEST Annals of the Kansas Gateway to the American West 1540-1854

Hardback. Foreword by eminent historian Dale L. Morgan of the Bancroft Library. The definitive study of the beginnings of the Great Western Movement to and through what is now Kansas on the Sante Fe Trail. The author, a member of the Kansas State Historical Society staff decided to prepare the annals covering the known activity in the pre-Kansas region from the appearance of the first Europeans in the mid-1500s to 1854, when the territory was created and land opened for settlement. These detailed records include a wide range of characters and events, along with some excellent illustrations covering the towns, the trails, the Indians, the pioneers, Fort Leavenworth etc. Illus. in text, Source Notes throughout + extensive Index. 1296pp. lge. 8vo. h/back. Map eps., tiny address label to fpd, o/w F. in F. protected dw. A heavy book at almost 2kg. and will require additional postage if shipped overseas.