Auteur: Carlson Ursula Carlson

This is a survey of the major historic trails of New Mexico and other parts of the American Southwest. These trails were used by Indians, prospectors, soldiers, buffalo hunters, immigrants, and cattl …

In medieval and Renaissance Europe, mercenaries–professional soldiers who fought for money or other rewards–played violent, colorful, international roles in warfare, but they have received relative …

For the Mexican government to go to war with its more powerful northern neighbor in 1846 was folly. Mexico surrendered to the United States more than half a million square miles of territory, contrib …

Before the Gold Rush of 1848-1858, Alta (Upper) California was an isolated cattle frontier–and home to a colorful group of Spanish-speaking, non-indigenous people known as Californios. Profiting fro …

The Great Basin is a hydrographic region that includes most of Nevada and parts of five other Western states. The histories of four of the Western rivers of the Great Basin–the Walker, the Truckee, …

In 1528, the Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and his three companions were shipwrecked and, looking for help, began an eight-year trek through the deserts of the American West. Over three …

The Middle Ages in Western Europe extended from roughly 500 to 1500 c.e. During these thousand years, hundreds of monastic communities were founded and played important roles in religious, economic, …