From the Emerald Isle to the Wild West—true tales of the Irish who forged the American frontier in “a very enjoyable romp through the tumbleweed” (The Irish Story).
Everyone knows how the Irish came to America in the 1800s seeking a new life. But less known are the stories of the Irish immigrants who got off the boats in the East, only to continue out West.
Here are the stories of the Sons and Daughters of Erin who used their guts and gumption to make the West what it is today. From the Irish members of the infamous and ill-fated Donner Party to mountain men like Thomas Fitzpatrick, who discovered the South Pass through the Rockies; and women like Ellen and Nellie Cashman, who built a business empire, to Maggie Hall, whose body and beauty earned her the title “the whore with a heart of gold.”
Full of fascinating facts, action, and adventure, How the Irish Won the West is “a wonderful and entertaining starting point for the history reader intent on learning more about the American West and the Irish part in its exploration and settlement” (The Irish Story).
