Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-407) and index.
Contents
Part one: birth of a boom. 1. The demise of the bison ; 2. Cattle for cash ; 3. Birth of the cattle town ; 4. Cattle-town high jinks -- Lighting the fuse -- Cowboy aristocrats -- Part two: cowboys and cattle kings. 7. From the stockyard to steakhouse ; 8. The rise of Cheyenne ; 9. Barbed wire: the devil's rope ; 10. Frewen's castle ; 11. The nature crusader -- Part three: the boom busts. 12. Tedd Blue and the necktie socials ; 13. Mortal ruin ; 14. Poker on joint-stock principles ; 15. The big die-up ; 16. The fall of Cheyenne -- Part four: nails in the coffin. 17. The rustler problem ; 18. Nate Champion and the Johnson County War ; 19. The cowboy president ; 20. The closing of the range ; 21. Failed second acts ; 22. Myths of the Old West.
Summary
Describes the truth of how the West rose and fell, and how its legacy defines us today.
