Examines the settlement of the area that became the southwestern portion of the United States, detailing how it evolved from land settled by Native Americans, to Spanish territory, to states that were pawns between the North and South prior to the Civil War.
Describes the discovery and settlement of the Western United States by diverse ethnic and religious groups, who came and stayed for widely differing reasons.
Describes several explorers and fur trappers who made names for themselves in the western American frontier during the early nineteenth century, including John Colter and Kit Carson.
When T?a Dolores, the beloved aunt who has cared for the Montoya family since the death of their mother, announces that she is planning to leave, Josefina and her sisters try to find a way to change her mind.
In 1825 when Josefina trusts a trader in Santa Fe with an important deal, she makes a surprising discovery about this young American who leaves town without paying her.
Josefina hopes to become a "curandera" or healer like T?a Magdalena, and she is tested just before her tenth birthday when a friend receives a potentially fatal snakebite.
Presents essays, jokes, riddles, and suggested readings on aspects of the Wild West, from the Oregon Trail to the Alamo, from Native Americans to cowboys, from explorers to outlaws.
