The following is a post from John Dechant, author of Scoreless: Omaha Central, Creighton Prep, and Nebraska’s Greatest High School Football Game (Bison Books, 2016). Dechant is the author of nine books and coauthor of Truth and Other Tall Tales. His writing has … Continue reading From the Desk of John Dechant: A Simpler Time
The following post is a contribution from Ann Sittig, co-author of The Mayans Among Us: Migrant Women and Meatpacking on the Great Plains (Nebraska, 2016). A recent article in the Lincoln Journal Star pointed out the growing immigrant role in Nebraska … Continue reading From the Desk of Ann Sittig
This year the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary and as the National Park Foundation said, “the Centennial is more than a birthday. We want people everywhere to embrace the opportunities to explore, learn, be inspired or simply have fun in their 407 … Continue reading From the desk of Paul Johnsgard #FindYourPark
UNP author James E. Potter passed away last weekend at the age of seventy. Potter worked for nearly forty-nine years as a state archivist and senior research historian at the Nebraska State Historical Society. He was also the book review editor for Nebraska History, where he reviewed a number of UNP books. We are proud to have published Potter’s book Standing Firmly by the Flag: Nebraska Territory and the Civil War, 1861-1867 (Bison Books, 2013), the first book to fully explore Nebraska’s involvement in the Civil War and the war’s role in Nebraska’s evolution from territory to thirty-seventh state on March … Continue reading James E. Potter, 1945-2016
An excerpt from The Solace of Stones: Finding a Way through Wilderness (April 2016) by Julie Riddle. CHAPTER 13: THE SOLACE OF STONES The new year dawned listless and drizzling. I didn’t resolve to get my act together, turn over a new leaf, … Continue reading Excerpt: The Solace of Stones
Julie Riddle is the author of the memoir, The Solace of Stones: Finding a Way through Wilderness (April 2016). Her essay, “Shadow Animals,” received a Special Mention in the 2015 Pushcart Prize anthology and was nominated for a National Magazine Award. She … Continue reading From the desk of Julie Riddle: Less Me, More We
Heather Stauffer is part of the Acquisitions Department at UNP. As the University of Nebraska Press celebrates our seventy-fifth anniversary with new publications, we are also revisiting books and authors that readers have enjoyed for decades. Bison Books includes several titles … Continue reading Celebrating Classics: Wallace Stegner
very February, during Black History Month, I always wonder if the public is becoming more aware of the legacy of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves and his contributions. We honor many African Americans, men and women, during this month who should be recognized for their contributions to our country’s growth and development. There are many African Americans we should know more about. Their careers, exploits and adventures are not taught in our grade schools, high schools and universities. One individual we may not know about is Bass Reeves, who served for over thirty years as a federal lawman in the Indian Territory, pre-statehood Oklahoma.
Reeves’ story is remarkable because he started life as a slave in Arkansas and Texas. He came from abject poverty, was never given any semblance of an education and remained illiterate throughout his adult life. Given these handicaps, Reeves was able to persevere and become a legend in his field during his own lifetime. We have had many frontier heroes in our country’s history such as Wyatt Earp, Kit Carson, and Wild Bill Hickock, to name a few. But Reeves stands head and shoulders above the crowd. Let me tell you why.
Bass Reeves overcame the obstacles of no education as a youth and was plagued with the constant danger of his profession as an adult in law enforcement. This did not deter him from the success he maintained throughout his career.
Continue reading “Art T. Burton on Black History”
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