Other editions of book Trails Of Yesterday

"An overlooked rangeland classic . . . well written and good reading." -Don Russell, Westerners Brand Books."Bratt's story is a minor classic because of the raw but credible frontier adventures of a young English emigrant."---Merrill J. Mattes. John Bratt's 1921 book "Trails of Yesterday," is among the greatest first-hand accounts of cattle ranching on the northern Great Plains during the wild time of the 1870s and 1880s. His book is the memoirs of a rancher on the Nebraska frontier plains, and gives a window into life on the Western cattle country as well as his youthful adventures in traversing the Great Platte River Road while avoiding attack from Indians.Bratt (1842-1918) was born in England and came to the U.S. at age 22, joining in 1866 a wagon train going from Nebraska City, Nebraska, to Fort Phil Kearny, working as a bullwhacker supplying Ft. Kearny and other Army posts. Bratt gives an authentic look at the country along the Great Platte River Road, noting the condition of the trail, and run-ins with buffalo and Indians such as Dull Knife.In describing one encounter with Dull Knife's band, Bratt writes: "We had all but eight of the wagons across when a small party of Indians (maybe twenty), mounted and carrying spears in addition to the customary bows and arrows, came charging at breakneck speed out of the adjacent hills and with a war whoop rode close up to the eight teams and commenced to shoot arrows at the teamsters and the cattle, sending some of their arrows into the flanks and sides of the cattle…."Another tense encounter took place with an Indian named "Big Mouth":"The next moment I was brought to my sense of danger by hearing the war-whoop yell. I imagine I can hear that yell as I sit penning these lines. It was given in earnest and with vigor. Had I been a black-haired man I think my hair would have turned white as they came galloping toward me. Fortunately I had tightened the cinch on my saddle. I heard one voice, that I recognized as Big Mouth's, yell in Sioux: 'Stop, Yellow Hair. We have you now!' I had sent my spurs into my horse's flanks . . ." Interestingly Bratt gives accounts of the frontier forts used for protecting the long trail, including Forts McPherson, Kearny, Mitchell, and Sedgwick-as well as the cattle ranches of John Burke and the famous Jack Morrow, among others. Bratt was a cattle rancher for more than 20 years, starting his cattle ranching venture in 1870. The majority of his narrative is devoted to the development of the ranching industry on the Great Plains.Bratt's book is a well-regarded historical source, and is cited by the following modern works: •Trails South: The Wagon-road Economy in the Dodge City-Panhandle Region, C. Robert Haywood - 2006 •The Great Plains Guide to Buffalo Bill: Forts, Fights & Other Sites, Jeff Barnes - 2014 •Dictionary of Midwestern Literature, Volume 2, Philip A. Greasley - 2016 •The Cattlemen: From the Rio Grande Across the Far Marias, Mari Sandoz – 1978•The Great Platte River Road: The Covered Wagon Mainline Via Fort, Merrill J. Mattes – 1987•Wyoming's Pioneer Ranches, Robert Homer Burns 1955•North from Texas: Incidents in the Early Life of a Range Cowman, James Clay Shaw – 1996•Nebraska history: an annotated bibliography, Michael L. Tate – 1995•National Cowboy Hall of Fame Chuck Wagon Cookbook, B. Byron Price – 1995•The call of the range: the story of the Nebraska Stock Growers, Nellie Irene Snyder Yost-1966•The Westerners Brandbook, Westerners. Chicago Corral – 1953•Journeys to the Land of Gold: Emigrant Diaries from the Bozeman, Susan Badger Doyle - 2000

Trails of Yesterday, first published in 1921, is ranked with the best firsthand accounts of ranching on the northern Great Plains in the 1870s and 1880s. This classic of cow-country literature is rich in authentic frontier history. Born in England in 1842, John Bratt came to America when he was twenty-two, and in 1866 he joined a wagon train traveling from Nebraska City to Fort Phil Kearny. Bratt gives a vivid view of the country along the Great Platte River Road, reporting on the condition of the trail, meetings with Indians such as Dull Knife, and encounters with buffalo herds. There are splendid descriptions of the few forts then protecting the long trail—Forts Kearny, McPherson, Mitchell, and Sedgwick—and of the road ranches of John Burke and the notorious Jack Morrow, among others. Bratt was a cattle rancher for more than two decades and was instrumental in the settlement of North Platte, Nebraska.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Trails of Yesterday is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This publication is professionally scanned from an original edition of the book, and of the best possible quality. This popular classic work by John Bratt is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of John Bratt then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XXX A Brighter Outlook--Love Creeps In--Marriage--Home Ties SOME may have thought me a woman hater for refusing many invitations to social affairs, but I was not. I had become acquainted with a few ladies but had seen only one for whom I thought I cared. That was Miss Elizabeth Burke, who since her father's accidental death, had relinquished many social duties among the officers' wives and daughters at Fort McPherson. She thought it her duty to assist her widowed mother in home duties and in the care of seven little brothers. She was a graduate of Brownell Hall in Omaha. She was born in Illinois and came with her parents and family to eastern Nebraska near Tecumseh, where the Jayhawkers stole nearly all of their stock. They finally settled on the California and Oregon Trail between Fort McPherson and Platte City. Here her father erected a road ranch, which as I have related in a previous chapter, was destroyed by a band of Sioux Indians, who took all their live stock except one team, which they managed to save with their lives by jumping into the wagon with what few things they could grab and running the team at break-neck speed to Fort McPherson. The Indians took all their bedding, provisions and clothing except what they had on, and burned the ranch. The commander of the Fort and the officers' wives furnished the family with a house to live in until they could build another. At another time, prior to destroying the ranch, while the mother and children were alone, two young Indian chiefs rode up and asked that the mother give them her little daughter. While the mother was driving the best bargain she could with the Indians, simply to kill time, expecting relief every moment, the Indians finally offered thirty ponies for the...

Trails of Yesterday, first published in 1921, is ranked with the best firsthand accounts of ranching on the northern Great Plains in the 1870s and 1880s. This classic of cow-country literature is rich in authentic frontier history. Born in England in 1842, John Bratt came to America when he was twenty-two, and in 1866 he joined a wagon train traveling from Nebraska City to Fort Phil Kearny. Bratt gives a vivid view of the country along the Great Platte River Road, reporting on the condition of the trail, meetings with Indians such as Dull Knife, and encounters with buffalo herds. There are splendid descriptions of the few forts then protecting the long trail—Forts Kearny, McPherson, Mitchell, and Sedgwick—and of the road ranches of John Burke and the notorious Jack Morrow, among others. Bratt was a cattle rancher for more than two decades and was instrumental in the settlement of North Platte, Nebraska.