Description
Book SynopsisCatton deftly crafts one grand narrative out of three and reveals the perilous lives of the white adventurers and their Indian families, who lived on the fringe of empire.
Trade ReviewCatton's riveting story is exquisitely written and well-researched. A must-read for anyone interested in frontier history.
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Library JournalCatton has produced a remarkable work of narrative nonfiction. ‘Rainy Lake House’ deserves a place on any history buff’s bookshelf alongside other excellent examples of frontier history narratives, including 'Undaunted Courage' (Stephen E. Ambrose), 'Astoria' (Peter Stark), 'Boone' (Robert Morgan) and 'Blood and Thunder' (Hampton Sides).
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The Missoulian. . . well written . . . Recommended
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ChoiceIt is refreshing to come across a historical monograph written with such a clear commitment to the craft of storytelling... a narrative that transcends mere biography to reveal the complex and fractured world of the northern borderland during the turbulent years of the fur trade monopolies and U.S. expansion... this is a well-researched piece of scholarship that is also a true pleasure to read. Catton's aim here is not to argue small points of historiographic debate, but to offer a glimpse at the tumultuous nature of the fur trade "from its various colliding vantage points" through the compelling accounts of three individuals (p. 7). In this, he succeeds masterfully.
—John William Nelson, University of Notre Dame,
Western Historical QuarterlyCatton's nuanced consideration of the cultural history of these events is enlightening.
—Thomas S. Abler, University of Waterloo,
Journal of American HistoryThis narrative focuses on three men from vastly different backgrounds and serves as a vehicle for exploring the rigors of the fur trade and the impending decline of Britain's fur-trading empire . . . Catton's writing style is lyrical and transcendent.
—Susan Sleeper-Smith, Michigan State University,
American Historical ReviewThick description of the fascinating world of the Great Lakes and northern plains is the great strength of this book . . . Catton's tight focus on three protagonists lets him vividly illustrate the dynamics of fur trade society, the reorganization of the trade, and the rise of Anglo-American racism.
—Benjamin H. Johnson, Loyola University Chicago,
Montana: the Magazine of Western HistoryTable of ContentsContents Maps Timeline Introduction: Rainy Lake House, 1823 Part One: Leave-Takings 1. The Explorer 2. The Hunter 3. The Trader Part Two: Long 4. "The English Make Them More Presents" 5. Encounters with the Sioux 6. Race and History 7. To Civilize the Osage Part Three: Tanner 8. Westward Migration 9. "Six Beaver Skins for a Quart of Mixed Rum" 10. The Test of Winter 11. Red Sky of the Morning 12. Warrior Part Four: McLoughlin 13. Fort William 14. Marriage a la facon du pays 15. Bad Birds 16. The Restive Partnership 17. The Pemmican War 18. The Battle of Seven Oaks 19. The Surrender of Fort William 20. Lord Selkirk's Prisoner 21. Time of Reckoning 22. London Part Five: Long 23. The Wonder of the Steamboat 24. A Christian Marriage 25. Up the Missouri 26. To the Rocky Mountains 27. Mapmaker 28. The Northern Expedition Part Six: Tanner 29. The Coming of The Prophet 30. A Loathsome Man 31. Sorcery and Sickness 32. Taking Fort Douglas 33. Rough Justice 34. In Search of Kin 35. Between Two Worlds Part Seven: McLoughlin 36. Chief Factor 37. Providence 38. Opposing the Americans Part Eight: Collision 39. Working for Wages 40. Children of the Fur Trade 41. The Ambush 42. The Pardon 43. "We met with an American" 44. The Onus of Revenge 45. Journeys Home Epilogue: Mackinac, 1824 - and After Postscript: John Tanner as a Source AcknowledgementsNotes
