THEME SUBJECTS
Life in the Wilderness
The Log Cabin
La Salle
My Friend from the West
My Friend from the East
Crossing the Mountains
Early Days in our State
An Encounter with the Indians
The Coming of the Railroad
Daniel Boone
A Home on the Prairies
Cutting down the Forest
The Homesteader
A Frontier Town
Life on a Western Ranch
The Old Settler
Some Stories of the Early Days
Moving West
Lewis and Clark
The Pioneer
The Old Settlers' Picnic
"Home-coming Day" in our Town
An Explorer
My Trip through the West (or the East)
The President
SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING
La Salle:—Look up, in Parkman's La Salle or elsewhere, the facts of La Salle's life. Make very brief mention of his life in France. Contrast it with his experiences in America. What were his reasons for becoming an explorer? Give an account of one of his expeditions: his plans; his preparations; his companions; his hardships; his struggles to establish a fort; his return to Canada for help; his failure or success. Perhaps you will want to write of his last expedition, and its unfortunate ending. Speak of his character as a man and an explorer. Show briefly the results of his endeavors.
Daniel Boone:—Look up the adventures of Daniel Boone, and tell some of them in a lively way. Perhaps you can imagine his telling them in his own words to a settler or a companion. In that case, try to put in the questions and the comments of the other person. This will make a kind of dramatic conversation.
Early Days in our State:—With a few changes, you can use the outline given on page [249] for "Early Days in our County."
An Encounter with the Indians:—Tell a story that you have heard or imagined, about some one's escape from the Indians. How did the hero happen to get into such a perilous situation? Briefly describe his surroundings. Tell of his first knowledge that the Indians were about to attack him. What did he do? How did he feel? Describe the Indians. Tell what efforts the hero made to get away or to protect himself. Make the account of his action brief and lively. Try to keep him before the reader all the time. Now and then explain what was going on in his mind. This is often a good way to secure suspense. Tell very clearly how the hero succeeded in escaping, and what his difficulties were in getting away from the spot. Condense the account of what took place after his actual escape. Where did he take refuge? Was he much the worse for his adventure?
COLLATERAL READINGS
| The Course of American History (in Mere Literature) | Woodrow Wilson |
| The Life of George Washington | " " |
| The Winning of the West | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Stories of the Great West | " " |
| Hero Tales from American History | Roosevelt and Lodge |
| The Great Salt Lake Trail | Inman and Cody |
| The Old Santa Fé Trail | H. Inman |
| Rocky Mountain Exploration | Reuben G. Thwaites |
| Daniel Boone | " " |
| How George Rogers Clark Won the Northwest | " " |
| Daniel Boone and the Wilderness Road | H.A. Bruce |
| The Crossing | Winston Churchill |
| The Conquest of Arid America | W.E. Smythe |
| The Last American Frontier | F.L. Paxon |
| Northwestern Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady |
| Western Frontier Stories | The Century Company |
| The Story of Tonty | Mary Hartwell Catherwood |
| Heroes of the Middle West | " " |
| Pony Tracks | Frederic Remington |
| The Different West | A.E. Bostwick |
| The Expedition of Lewis and Clark | J.K. Hosmer |
| The Trail of Lewis and Clark | O.D. Wheeler |
| The Discovery of the Old Northwest | James Baldwin |
| Boots and Saddles | Elizabeth Custer |
| La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West | Francis Parkman |
| The Oregon Trail | " " |
| Samuel Houston | Henry Bruce |
| The Story of the Railroad | Cy Warman |
| The Pioneers | Walt Whitman |
| The Story of the Cowboy | Emerson Hough |
| Woodrow Wilson | W.B. Hale |
| Recollections of Thirteen Presidents | John S. Wise |
| Presidential Problems | Grover Cleveland |
| The Story of the White House | Esther Singleton |