Into the Wild Frontier

[doubleset]

I guess that in fairness, I suppose we should just take the show for what it's being claimed to be and expect nothing else. It's web site is very explicit in a number of places that it's "legends" that are being presented, and not history. This frees the creators and writers from having to conform to constraints about accuracy -- except for accurately repeating one form of legend or another. Similar to the (if I may use the term) legendary "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier". I certainly enjoyed that at the time.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

The Bridger episode was ok, more about Glass than anything else but again, I'd rather watch this than anything else on TV. Thanks for posting.

 

[Mad L]

youtube it

https://youtube.com/c/insptv

It looks like they removed the first two already?
I hope the post them going forward, at least for a couple days before removing

 

[FlintRock]

It looks like they removed the first two already?
I hope the post them going forward, at least for a couple days before removing

yeah I did see that and they haven’t posted the new one. Hope they don’t just stop publishing them. The channel isn’t available in my country so I can’t view them otherwise

 

[doubleset]

If you ever want a story about the American West during the time of expansion that is both awesomely inspiring and historically accurate, get Blood and Thunder: an Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides. Yeah, it's expensive. But it's amazing, and amazingly written, and no-nonsense dependable accuracy.

And yeah, it's not something to watch. You have to read it. But you'll WANT to read it. In fact, you'll have a hard time to put it down. It's on my very short list of "Really excellent books I recommend to anyone and think that everyone should read." I learned things about the West, the Indians, the tribes and societies, the relationship with Mexico, the expansion to California, and the amazing (and illiterate) Kit Carson and others that I never came close to encountering in history courses. And it's not made up, fudged, or reports of "legends".

 

[moose23]

I read that book a few years ago. Awesome read! Kit Carson was a true bad a$$ of the American West! And Hampton Sides is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read several of his books…all of them were thoroughly researched and well written.

 

[doubleset]

I read that book a few years ago. Awesome read! Kit Carson was a true bad a$$ of the American West! And Hampton Sides is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read several of his books…all of them were thoroughly researched and well written.

He's an excellent example of a non-academic historian who can write history that's accurate, well researched and documented, and both entertaining and informative.

If you want to try another author of that sort (and maybe you've read this one as well), look at Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. That was not well received by academic historians, but is absolutely fascinating in offering answers to some hard questions that either aren't often asked or not convincingly answered; and Diamond is a very smart guy (in several different disciplines). As someone who basically made his living as a methodologist of one sort or another for decades, I particularly appreciated Diamond's somewhat approach to history, and the methodology that he developed using empirical linguistics to trace and enhance our understanding of how and when certain features of one society migrated into others. He's a scientist looking at history as more of a science than historians generally like to think of it. It's another of my "Everyone should read this book." candidates.

 

[moose23]

I haven’t read that but might check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[FlintRock]

I didn’t enjoy the first third of blood and thunder, constant jumping around in time and space. It got better from there however.

Empire of the summer moon is a great read on opening of the west in southern parts of the US. Focuses on Comanche.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

If you want to try another author of that sort (and maybe you've read this one as well), look at Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. That was not well received by academic historians, but is absolutely fascinating in offering answers to some hard questions that either aren't often asked or not convincingly answered; and Diamond is a very smart guy (in several different disciplines).

From my side of academia, Diamond was very well received. That and his "Worste Mistake in Human History" really placed him on the must read list of most historians.

 

[doubleset]

From my side of academia, Diamond was very well received. That and his "Worste Mistake in Human History" really placed him on the must read list of most historians.

Interesting. That wasn't the impression I had at the time from reading various reviews and journal articles. But that impression may not have been representative, although a quick web search yields pages of hits that are highly (and largely ideologically) critical, at least at the university and "think tank" level -- though those critiques, while from academics of various stripes, may not be largely from historians proper. I'll feel better about a few things in the world of academia if you're correct that Diamond was very well received.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Required reading for AP US a few years ago and I still use "Worst Mistake..." today.

 

[doubleset]

Required reading for AP US a few years ago and I still use "Worst Mistake..." today.

Encouraging.

 

[SamTex1949]

B and T paperback $12.79 Amazon.com: Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West: 9781400031108: Sides, Hampton: Books

 

[mushka]

I ordered Blood and Thunder from Thriftbooks last night, less than eleven bucks delivered. Looking forward to the read when it gets herel

 

[recurvebill]

Like this series a lot . Get it up here in northern Maine on Thursday night . Actually learned a couple things i thought i already knew about Mr. Beckwith . Kind of curious as to whether George Drouillard will have a showing with other Mountain Men ! Quite a storied individual , for those who may want to look him up !!

 

[shorthair]

Tomorrow Jim Bridger airs, it’s focussed on the high glass saga though.

I think you meant Hugh Glass.
And it was a decent portrayal.

 

[FlintRock]

They removed access to the videos for people in my country after the second episode and haven’t replied to my several attempts to contact them on why.

It wasn’t an amazing show but I still would have preferred that over watching sex and the city with my wife!

 

[Mad L]

They removed access to the videos for people in my country after the second episode and haven’t replied to my several attempts to contact them on why.

It wasn’t an amazing show but I still would have preferred that over watching sex and the city with my wife!

My guess is:
A) they just posted the first couple to gain interest to view their channel.
B) they found too many people reposting it on other sites
C) both A & B

They can not control what carriers offer their ISPN

 

[FlintRock]

My guess is:
A) they just posted the first couple to gain interest to view their channel.
B) they found too many people reposting it on other sites
C) both A & B

They can not control what carriers offer their ISPN

I would respectfully disagree that they don’t control what’s on their own YouTube channel which is our only access to it. If Steve Rinella can put his entire library on YouTube they can put a few episodes of this show.