Frontier Ways, Personal Narratives of the West

The classic account of what day-to-day life was like for cowboys and pioneer families in the American West.

Born in a log cabin in 1879—Edward Everett Dale sought education and become a prolific and versatile professional writer—but always remained rooted in his close connection to the frontier. He lived in a sod house, and once rode the range as cook to a group of cowboys. His life experiences brought exceptional authenticity to his work, including this classic first-hand account of the way pioneers lived.

In Frontier Ways he describes all aspects of frontier life: the building of a home, the problems of finding wood and water, the procuring and cooking of food, medical practices, and the cultural, social, and religious life of pioneer families. Lively and involving, this collection of his essays has allowed generations of readers to look back on the West’s fascinating past.

“At times [Dale] was the serious scholarly research-bent historian, but more often he was the folklorist, humorist, on-the-spot frontier reporter.” —Great Plains Journal