Western Books from Gene W. Baade

Item 90 is a carbon copy of an unpublished, fictionalized biography of Crazy Horse, Hero of the Lakotas. The author is I.G. McPherren (Ida Geneva Miller), author of several other books. While pointing out that he is not an expert on the subject, Baade notes that the documented and interview material appears sound, McPherren was in close contact with American Indians, and she conducted her own research. The dialogue, obviously enough, is fictionalized, but is realistic. The manuscript was likely written during the early 1950s. $1,000.

Item 160 is a collection of five lumber mill photographs, taken in the Wisconsin woods in 1906. The mills were around Rhinelander and Monico, communities up north near the border of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That would have been hard labor for the men and boys (yes, there are boys in these pictures) who worked at the mills. A couple of the photos have the names of most of the men written on the back. One displays a burned down mill with the notation, “After Pelican River Mill fire July 1906.” These pictures are a stark reminder of the hard work needed to get by in rural America a century ago. $750.

Gene W. Baade Books on the West may be reached at 425-271-6481 or bookwest@q.com. The website is www.booksonthewest.com.