Books published by publisher Long's College Book Co

Born at River Till, old England in 1822. William T. Hamilton (Bill) was the son of farmers, schooled by his parents, and learned early on life the values of hard work. The author writes of his adventurous sixty years from 1840 to 1900. From farmer to mountaineer he tells stories of learning frontier arts and skills, fur trapping and trading with the Indians, piloting emigrants and adventurers; getting married and the death of his wife and son; mining in California; a "Buckskin Ranger" in Oregon; Trading Post and Yellowstone valley; Becoming an Army scout-interpreter; becoming County Sheriff and U.S. Marshall. This colorful man tells of fascinating people, fascinating places, and a fascinating time that has long since disappeared.

Following the doctor's orders for a change of climate, in 1842 William Hamilton found himself accompanying a party of trappers on a year-long expedition. Heading into the wild, Hamilton would prove himself to be a fast learner, as adept with a firearm as with sign language: this early experience would be the making of him. As the nineteenth century progressed, along with many other trappers Hamilton found himself drawn into the Indian Wars brought about by territorial expansion. Exploring, trapping, trading and fighting, Hamilton shows how every aspect of a mountain man's life relied on his wits and knowledge in order to survive the inhospitable environments. First published in 1905, when the experiences of such pushing, adventurous and fearless men were becoming a thing of the past, Hamilton's unassuming memoir relates an extraordinary life in a disappearing American West.