My Sixty Years on the Plains

Trapping, Trading, and Indian Fighting

De: William Thomas Hamilton

Narrado por: A.T. Chandler

In his concise, richly detailed memoir My Sixty Years on the Plains, fur-trapper W. T. Hamilton - also known as "Wildcat Bill"-gives the listener a first-hand account of life outdoors in the Old West. From trailblazing to trading with Indians, Hamilton relates how a mountain man relied on his wits and specialized knowledge in order to survive the inhospitable environments.

Public Domain (P)2018 Tantor

WOW!!!

now that was a fun ride along. And I learned so much of the history here in the old west.

Beautiful historical story

This book would make a great movie
I loved this mans story and discription of our beautiful country

60 years on the plains

Great short listen about the life of a trapper. The narrator was different but not bad. Reminds me of what Sam Elliot would sound like narrating an audiobook. If you interested in plains life in the mid 1800’s this gives you a fine idea.

description

excellent description of each encounter. fascinating roles played by each character.
beautiful description of the surroundings.

Pretty good

I enjoyed this, and enjoy about learning about this time in history. It's a good book, but it wasn't memorable enough to give it 5 stars. Still, good enough that I recommend it.

Incredibly Racist, but interesting

Must have been ghost written by some hack. All the cliches about dirty, dishonest, savage Indians. Still, aspects are interesting. Recommend a read, but take with a good punch of salt.

An interesting catalog of experiences

Provides glimpses into his version of life as a trapper which are of interest as he was there. Engaging enough to make it an easy listen.

Amazing to know he met The Portland McLoughlin.

Accurate history

I have read and listened to this multiple times and have handed out several hard copies. Chandler has an excellent voice for this type of read. I only gave 4 stars because some of the places mentioned were mispronounced. Not a big deal and would not have been noticed had I not been from the part of the country covered. Hamilton was very accurate in his depiction of the trappers life in that era. He had both friends and enemies among the Indians. He doesn’t mention in this book that he was married but it was covered in the footnotes of the book, Old Bill Williams. (Also a good read if you’re interested in western history from that time)

Great story!

I will definitely listen to this book again. It's so amazing what people lived through back then.

A terrific documented life of a mountaineer

I took away many things that I was looking for about the frontier and mountain men. Learning the way of life and interactions with Natives and trapping.
However with an hour and a half left, Hamilton had interactions with the Modocs. I was first introduced Modocs’ story through Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I was intrigued and inspired by their story. I sought after and read the well written book The Modoc War. Here, without giving away too much detail, Hamilton eskews a few details. Ben Wright being a genocidal maniac, the Modocs’ ability to fight, and the war the fought against the Government till the early 1870s. I understand My Sixty Years is written from the writer’s point of view but I couldn’t help feeling mildly heated.
With that said, I recommend both books as they are worth reading through.