The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 104, July 2000 - April, 2001 Page: 110

                                
Southwestern Historical Quarterly

The Wild Bunch, the confederation of outlaws headed by Butch
Cassidy, has long been the subject of historical and popular interest. In
1938 Charles Kelly wrote The Outlaw Trail: A History of Butch Cassidy &
His Wild Bunch, which was revised and updated in 1959. Bison Books is
now offering a reprint of this popular work. Kelly recreates the mean
and magnificent places frequented by the Wild Bunch and a slew of lesser
outlaws. He explores Cassidy's meeting with the Sundance Kid, and
describes the exploits of the Wild Bunch. The Outlaw Trail is available in
paperback for $14.00oo at bookstores or from the University of
Nebraska Press at http://nebraskapress.unl.edu.
Bison Books is also offering another of their many books on the
Oregon Trail. The Mountains We Have Crossed: Diaries and Letters of the
Oregon Mission, 1838, edited by Clifford Merril Drury focuses on four
married couples, along with one single man, who were sent to Oregon
in 1838 to reinforce the two-year-old mission established by Marcus
Whitman and Henry Spalding. These reinforcements became legendary
in the history of the Pacific Northwest for the incessant bickering and
petty jealousies that eventually caused the deaths of Marcus and Narcissa
Whitman and forced the abandonment of the mission effort. The book
contains the very personal diary of Sarah Smith. When read in chrono-
logical sequence with the nearly one hundred letters written by her hus-
band, Asa, a compelling picture of their journey to Oregon and subse-,
quent life at the mission emerges. Other letters, documents, and bio-
graphical sketches enhance the volume. The book is available in paper-
back for $15.00oo at bookstores or from the University of Nebraska Press
at http://nebraskapress.unl.edu.

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