Prairie Fever: British Aristocrats in the American West 1830-1890

“A deeply researched and finely delivered look at what can best be described as a counterintuitive slice of American history.”—Washington Post

From the 1830s onward, a succession of well-born Britons headed west to the great American wilderness to find adventure and fulfillment. They brought their dogs, sporting guns, valets, and all the attitudes and prejudices of their class. Prairie Fever explores why the West had such a strong romantic appeal for them at a time when their inherited wealt...