Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce

Rating:
Summary: On the road with Stadius
Review: Dreamers is an excellent account of the Nez Perce flight for freedom as they are chased by all the stars of the American military. Beginning with Gen. Howard (infamous already for the disaster at Chancellorsville during the Civil War, cameo appearances are made by Gens. Sherman, Sheridan, and Miles. Stadius retraces the path of the Nez Perce from the Willowas, to the Battle at Whitebird, and then the run through the Idaho Panhandle into Montana, through Yellowstone and back up trough Montana. There is a balanced mix of personal accounts of civilians, soldiers, and Nez Perce that makes this a rich historical account. This, coupled with Stadius's own journal account of retracing the Nez Perce Trail and how it looks today makes this a most enjoyable book. It reminds me of William Frassanito's style of taking old Brady photographs and determining exactly where they were taken by revisiting the sites. The reliance on written and oral histories and Stadius's gift of describing the terrain and geography enlivens this book, to the point that I am already planning stages of traveling over parts of this trail. Occasionally Stadius will inject some of his opinions, but overall I most appreciated the contrast of experience from participants and not some attempt at political correctness or personal sermonizing. History as it should be written is what Dreamers is most about. It starts slow, but after Howard starts pursuing across the Lolo pass, I couldn't put it down. I bought this book at the U. of Idaho bookstore when the author was doing a signing, let it sit on the shelf for 7 months, and finally stuck it in my brief case to read on a cross country flight. The return flight has never seemed so short. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Following The Trail
Review: I reccomend this book for any one wanting to learn more about the Nez Perce Trail. I found this book very interesting.I have driven parts of the trail myself and found this book to be so factual. The authors respect for the Native American Culture shines through. It is a very interesting book of historical importance. I found myself reading the book with a road Atlas by my side.

Rating:
Summary: With a library and knapsack in his VW microbus . . .
Review: Martin Stadius has put together a narrative of travel along the Nez Perce trail, and through the stacks of books and articles that have been written about that episode in US history. He navigates both trails well. His blend of personal narrative and historical analysis does a good job of sorting facts from myths, and offers often compelling description of the landscape.

Some of what I like about this book: Stadius took some good pictures along the route and put them in this book. He spent the obligatory time in Pullman, Washington poring through the McWhorter papers. He listened well to one of the most knowledgeable people alive today concerning the Nez Perce war--Otis Halfmoon, National Park Service Ranger--and gives a good description of that Nez Perce man's storytelling ability. He reveals a sense of ethics in his exploration of places and sources. He recognizes the incompetence of the would-be poachers he saw fishing in a "no fishing" section of Yellowstone Park.

My first thought when I saw this book was that it would be another urbanite's tour through Indian country (like Ian Frazier's _On the Rez_). But as Stadius follows the Nez Perce trail, he deftly weaves together natural history, perceptive observation, good manners, and an inquisitive spirit tempered by respect for the sacred. His prose keeps running smoothly in a manner akin to his miracle bus because he's willing to get out and wade a creek before attempting to drive through, and knows his limits. That scene from the book could stand as a metaphor for his journeys through the pasts and places along the Nez Perce trail.

This book will not have the enduring power of McWhorter's accounts that are based on first hand testimony. But in our time it is one of the better books on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Award winner! PNBA's "Excellence in Writing" 2000 Award.
Review: Martin Stadius recently won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award "Excellence in Writing" for "Dreamers: On the Trail of the Nez Perce".

"Stadius' crisp, entertaining writing style makes this much more than a history book. He follows the route of the Nez Perce National History Trail in his VW van, describing the trail today. He tells the story of this tragic retreat of the Nez Perce from Wallowa Lake, Oregon to Bear Paw, Montana in very human terms--from the perspective of the Nez Perce, their pursuers and the people who found themselves in the path of the chase."- PNBA Spring Show 2000 Program.

Martin received the "Excellence in Writing" award on March 14, 2000 at the PNBA Spring Show in Tacoma, Washington.

The Publishers Caxton Press