The sad fact that some of these “dreamers” chose to annihilate or displace so many Native Americans, raise the stars and stripes, and claim their native lands as now “ours” is a troubling and dark part of the tale, but is also part of the American story.We are an ethnocentric people who seem to believe that our destiny trumps that of any other culture. The “manifest destiny” of a coast-to-coast nation required thousands to take a leap of faith, embrace a uniquely American optimism, which is a key element of the American dream. But an adventurous sub-set continued west. Most of our nations’ people crossed the Atlantic, and settled east, populating the cities and the original colonies. Those of us raised east of Missouri are taught a version of our nation’s history that focuses upon the eastern seaboard and often misses some of America’s best stories and most colorful characters. His well-researched book reminds us that not all that long ago, this part of our nation was a much different kind of place. Today we lunched with Hampton Sides, author of the national best seller, Blood and Thunder,the Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of The American West. The West got in my blood earlier than I can recall.

He was a West Virginian and active outdoorsmen who believed in the expansive nature, the sheer beauty and rugged individualism as attributes that made western folks unique.

Though a true Midwesterner, my grandfather exposed me to the American West at a very young age.

Blood and thunder kit carson