In 1859, the American Fur Company embarked on what was then the longest paddle-wheel steamboat expedition in North American history: 6,200 miles round trip on the Missouri River from St. Louis to the Montana territory. This narrative account of the expedition draws on the journals of a passenger and a medical officer for the expedition, combining entire unedited journal entries and excerpts from primary source official reports with information on the river's environmental history and the lifeways of Native peoples on the route. For comparative purposes, quotations from the firsthand accounts of pre-1859 travelers describe changes along the river and show the evolving circumstances of the Native American tribes. The book is illustrated with b&w historical illustrations and photos, plus b&w maps showing the route. Larsen is professor emeritus of history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Cottrell is affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration in Kansas City. The Arthur H. Clark Co. is an imprint of the University of Oklahoma Press. Annotation 2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
