American History Since 1877

Chapter 16
American West

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These resources have been selected by librarians to supplement HSTY202 classes (American History from 1877) at Tompkins Cortland Community College.

• Gale Virtual Reference Collection
• Books and eBooks in TC3 Collection
• Subject Headings
• Multimedia
• Locating Journal Articles in Databases
• Web Resources

Gale Virtual Reference Collection

TC3 students and staff have access to the Gale Virtual Reference Library which has over 250 academic reference encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. This is a good place to start your research because it provides useful background information. See our tutorial for quick tips on Searching Gale Virtual Reference.

Books and eBooks in the TC3 Collection

• Abstract of the Official Record of Proceedings of the Reno Court on Inquiry - "Convened at Chicago, Illinois, 13 January 1879 by the President of the United States upon the request of Major Marcus A. Reno, 7th Cavalry, to investigate his conduct at the Battle of Little Big Horn, 25-26 June 1876." From the Hathi Trust Digital Library. Primary Source
• Closing the Gate: Race, Politics, and the Chinese Exclusion Act [E184.C5 G9 1998]
• The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Great Plains by Loretta Fowler - Online via ACLS Humanities E-Book Collection.
• Cultivating California: Growers, Specialty Crops, and Labor, 1875-1920 by David Vaught [HD1527.C2 V38 1999]
• The Destruction of the Bison: an Environmental History, 1750-1920 by Andrew C. Isenberg [QL737 .U531834 2000]
• The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890 [E81 .U747 1984]. Also available online (ACLS Humanities E-Book).
• Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West by William Cronon [F548.4 .C85 1991]
• Our Hearts Fell to the Ground: Plains Indian Views of How the West was Lost [E78.G73 O97 1996] "Anthology chronicles the Plains Indians' struggle to maintain their traditional way of life in the changing world of the nineteenth century. Its rich variety of 34 primary sources - including narratives, myths, speeches, and transcribed oral histories - gives students the rare opportunity to view the transformation of the West from Native American perspective."
• Oxford History of the American West [F591 .O95 1994]
• Ramona: A Story by Helen Hunt Jackson [PS2107 .R3] "One of the earliest romances about Southern California and a social protest against the treatment of the Indians by whites."
• So Much to Be Done: Women Settlers on the Mining and Ranching Frontier [F596 .S68 1990] - Primary Source.
• The Sod-house Frontier, 1854-1890: a Social History of the Northern Plains from the Creation of Kansas & Nebraska to the Admission of the Dakotas by Everett Dick [F591 .D54 1954]
• Strangers from a Different Shore: a History of Asian Americans by Ronald Takaki [E184.O6 T35]
• William Henry Jackson's "The pioneer photographer" compiled, edited, and annotated by Bob Blair; with original text from the 1929 edition [O-SIZE F594 .J165 2005]

Don't hesitate to ask a reference librarian for help in locating other books owned by us or for help in using our free InterLibrary Loan Service which borrows materials from other libraries.

Subject Headings

Try these suggested subject headings to find books on the Progressive Era in the TC3 Library Catalog, SUNY Union Catalog and WorldCat.

• Frontier and pioneer life, West
• Indians of North America, Great Plains
• West US, History, 19th century
• Women pioneers

Multimedia

• Gold Rush - "When gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, California, in 1848, some 300,000 people from the rest of the United States and abroad flooded the region to try to strike it rich. Using re-creations, archival photos, and interviews with noted historians, this program examines the quest for wealth as well as the far-reaching impact the Gold Rush had on the nation’s economic, geographic, and psychic landscape." Streaming video via Films on Demand (45 minutes). Part of the sereies - 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America.
• In the White Man's Image (VHS) [Media E97 .I67 1991] - "Look at the education of a certain group of American Indians in the Carlisle School for Indian Students founded by Richard Pratt in the early part of the 20th century as an attempt to change their heritage and values. Includes the story of Cheyenne warriors who were exiled to St. Augustine, Florida as the first group of Indians to be schooled under Mr. Pratt’s direction."
• The Sand Creek Massacre: Seven Hours that Changed American History (2006) - Online streaming video (Films on Demand). "On November 29, 1864, Col. John Chivington and 800 troops of the First Colorado Cavalry attacked a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho camp—massacring women, children, and the elderly. This program ...consists of oral histories passed down from firsthand accounts through the generations and movingly conveyed by descendants of Native American eyewitnesses. In addition, professional historians of the region and time period give background information on possible causes of, and twisted motivations for, the genocidal slaughter. Informative maps and an impressive array of archival photos are also included."(22 minutes)

Locating Journal Articles in Databases

History-related electronic journals are available to TC3 students and staff in our electronic databases and in our list of full-text electronic journals by title & Subject.

Web Resources

"California As I Saw It": First Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900 - Library of Congress
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation - U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875, provided by the Library of Congress.
Chew Heong v. United States: Chinese Exclusion and the Federal Courts by Lucy Salyer, Federal Judicial History Office, 2006.
The Chinese in California, 1850-1925 - Library of Congress
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers - Search and view newspaper pages from 1860-1922.
Handbook of Texas Online - Texas State Historical Association
• HathiTrust Digital Library - A rich collection of digitized texts including many primary sources relevent to American History. Use the Full-Text search and check the box for Full view only.
Kappler's Indian Affairs Laws and Treaties - Oklahoma State University Library
• National Anthropological Archives - Smithsonian Institution. A rich source for locating images.
Native American Documents Project - California State University, San Marcos
New York Times Site Map of Free Articles - For articles about Ghost Dance, Wounded Knee, Sioux see New York Times: Free Articles from November 1890 Part 1
Online Nevada Encyclopedia - Nevada Humanities
Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters, 1862-1912 - "Butcher photographed actively in central Nebraska including Custer, Buffalo, Dawson and Cherry counties. The approximately 3,000 pages of Oblinger family letters discuss land, work, neighbors, crops, religious meetings, problems with grasshoppers, financial problems, and the Easter Blizzard of 1873."
The President's Veto - "Full text of the Message Sent to the Senate. The Objectionable Sections. Analyzation of Former Diplomatic Relations With China. Interview with Minister Sargent." Newspaper article from the Sacramento [California] Daily Record-Union, April 06, 1882 on the events leading up to the Chinese Exclusion Act of May 6, 1882. Primary Source
1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire - Online archive of 14,000 images and 7,000 pages of text.
Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters, 1862-1912
Surveyors of the American West

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Last update: Monday, February 14, 2011