Book Review: The Banker and the Blackfoot by J. Edward Chamberlin

About:

The Banker and the Blackfoot: An Untold Story of Friendship, Trust, and Broken Promises in the Old West by J. Edward Chamberlin is a non-fiction book about the author’s grandfather, John Cowdry who befriended the legendary Blackfoot warrior Crop Eared Wolf. Mr. Chamberlin isa  professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and has written several non-fiction books.

• 288 pages
• Publisher: BlueBridge
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1629190179

 

My rating for The Banker and the Blackfoot – 4
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Thoughts:

I enjoy reading good history books which tell a good story, however I have yet to read a history book about Canada, I cannot say that anymore. The Banker and the Blackfoot: An Untold Story of Friendship, Trust, and Broken Promises in the Old West by J. Edward Chamberlin takes place at what is now Fort Macleod, a town in the southwest corner of the province of Alberta, Canada.

The author goes on to tell about the history of the West and the relationships between the Mounties (police), the Natives, and the settlers. Even though the Canadians did not have the issues that the US struggled with, they still managed to break their promises to the First Nation.

This is a well written history book, with a nice personal touch. The author tells about his family and what his relatives at the time went through, how they lived, worked, and played. I thought the author was trying to stay as objective as possible when it came to the historical nature of the promises the Canadian government made to the First Nation and never kept. This, despite the fact, that they knew the First Nation were interested in friendship.

I enjoyed the author’s reflection on the town’s people, not just his grandfather. The town was filled with colorful folks including Francis Dickens (the son of…) and Harry Longabaugh who later joined Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch under the nickname Sundance Kid.

I found this book to be a fascinating window into a harsh era to a place I’ve yet to learn about.

Buy The Banker and the Blackfoot from Amazon.com*
More Books by J. Edward Chamberlin*

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer: I got this book for free.
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