American Trinity by Larry Len Peterson

• 728 Pages
• Historical account of the formation of the American West

 “Meriwether Lewis was restless and desired adventure. In May 1792, American sea captain Robert Gray had sailed his ship Columbia along the Pacific Northwest coast into a river that would take the boat's name. This inspired Jefferson to raise funds to send explorers on an expedition to the Pacific. Lewis contacted Jefferson, who was a family friend, to volunteer.”

-from Chapter Sixteen: Father of the American West: Thomas Jefferson and the Corps of Discovery

Perfect for the curious history buff, this book takes a scholarly approach to the multi-perspective story of the American West. Dr. Peterson’s writing is approachable to any audience without compromising its rich and deep analysis of the nation-building policies and people who grew and shaped the country’s boundaries and the fates of thousands of Indian populations for good or for ill. One of Peterson’s main points concerns the symbolism of Native American peoples: “The Indian was a symbol, not a real person … Indian sentiments were always only obliquely about them,” making this book research-based and impartial in nature – a perfect read for a  Montana road trip!

Based in beautiful Helena, Montana, Farcountry Press has been an award-winning local publisher since 1980. Specializing in full-color photography books, locally written children’s stories, guidebooks, cookbooks, and regional history stories, Farcountry Press’ staff produces about 25 new books annually. This wonderful company also serves as a distributor for several other smaller book publishers, including The University of Montana Press.