Book Description
The publication of "The Medicine Bows" adds a new dimension to the enjoyment of the high country of southeastern Wyoming. "The Medicine Bows" tells the 8500-year story of a mountainous region rich in the history of Plains Indians, mountain men, tie hacks, and early forest rangers. The Medicine Bow Mountains and surrounding area was an important fur trade center and one of the last refuges of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux Indians. Individuals like William Ashley, Jim Bridger, and John Fremont were instrumental in the early explorations of the region, while men like Francis Parkman and Owen Wister did their part to memorialize this land and its people. With the arrival of overwhelming numbers of settlers, the region played an important role in the development of the Overland Stage and Emigrant Route and the first transcontinental railroad and telegraph. The significance of the Medicine Bow region in the history of Wyoming and western America lay in its abundant natural resources in close proximity to major 19th century migration routes. Although logging, grazing, and limited mining are still conducted on the Medicine Bow National Forest, emphasis has shifted in recent times to its recreational value. The high mountain lakes and streams, rugged rocky peaks and endless vistas of forest and plain provide a last refuge - a physical and psychological release from 20th century pressures. The Medicine bow region now provides an escape to a place the early explorers and the mountain men might still recognize, a repository of silence, natural beauty, and history.


About the Author
Robert and Elizabeth Rosenberg both attended the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley where he received his Master of Arts degree in History, and she a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. The Rosenbergs have lived in southeastern Wyoming for the last five years. Robert is an historical consultant in cultural resource management, and Elizabeth is pursuing a career as a free lance artist. Their vocations allow them to travel widely throughout the Rocky Mountain West to gain new material for Robert's historical articles and Elizabeth's artwork. The couple is now accompanied on their field trips by their infant son Andrew. The Rosenberg's work carries over into their outdoor recreational activities which include camping, hiking, fishing and hunting, horseback riding and running. Scott Thybony is an anthropologist/writer currently living north of Flagstaff, Arizona. He had conducted archeological surveys and ethnohistorical research in Wyoming during the rare months when the wind and snow would allow. The remaining time he spent studying the effects of cabin fever on his wife and young child.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Medicine Bows tells the 8,500-year story of a mountainous region rich in the history of the Plains Indians, mountain men, tie hacks and early forest rangers.

The Medicine Bow Mountains and surrounding area were an important fur trade center and one of the last refuges of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Sioux Indians. Individuals like William Ashley, Jim Bridger, and John Fremont led the early explorations of the region. With arrival of overwhelming numbers of settlers, the area played an important role in the development of the Overland Stage and emigrant route and the first trans-continental railroad and telegraph.