This is a thorough, imaginative, and focused community study of a western town undergoing multiple transformations and multiple identity shifts."—Pacific Northwest Quarterly
"A fine examination of the interplay between the labor and economic history of a small western town and the mythic western identity of that place. . . . This book is significant because it sheds light on the problems westerners—and Americans in general—have with conceptualizing the West and appreciating the region’s labor history."—Labor History
"This is a nuanced look at the dynamic relationship between myth and local history, and Christensen has a book that speaks to social, cultural, western, local, and public historians, not to mention western residents and tourists."—Western Historical Quarterly
"A fine case study of a small town’s search for a public identity. Christensen has researched her book thoroughly and writes engagingly. She is sensitive to the residents’ differing perceptions of themselves and their town, and how those notions meshed with the existential realities of life in the Rocky Mountain West. She carefully blends her story with the larger, national culture and shifting popular views of the West in this thoughtful, well-written story."—H-Net Reviews
"Makes a substantial contribution to the growing literature on western tourism. . . . Red Lodge, a town of 1,875 in south central Montana, now joins the distinguished company of Las Vegas and Santa Fe in the picture gallery of western tourist centers that have had their portraits taken."—American Historical Review
"Christensen moves beyond traditional local history to explore issues of public memory, heritage, tourism, and western identity. She provides a broad historical context that links the history of Red Lodge to larger issues related to the transformation of western economies, the relationship between mythic West and real West, the representation of ethnic identity, and the cultural construction of nature."—Journal of American History
"The best recent book one can think of that explains the history of the West in easily understandable microcosm."—Washington Times
“Thoroughly researched and richly textured, Christensen’s vibrant consideration of town building underscores the importance of community in the American West.”—Anne M. Butler, editor of Western Historical Quarterly
“A splendid book that offers a fresh and imaginative look at the constantly shifting definitions of ‘Western’ and of one Montana town’s often muddled efforts to keep up with the latest in Western fashions. Rich in detail, insightful, and important.”—David M. Emmons, author of The Butte Irish: Class and Ethnicity in an American Mining Town, 1875–1925