Reviews for The Great Platte River Road

The average rating for The Great Platte River Road based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-12-04 00:00:00 D’ann Hanrahan Author and historian Mattes did extensive research to pull together this quote-heavy account from diaries of pioneers about life along the Great Platte River Road--there was a grave on average every 20 feet. My parents grew up in this region not long after it was over and my great grandparents traveled this first superhighway that millions traveled to California and Oregon. I found it not only personal but intensely engaging. Really, it was such a short time ago---170 years at its peak. I never imagined the depth of hardship before of this government and media-created migration. "There's gold in them there hills!" PS the Natives were for the most part friendly and even helpful, but cholera was swift and deadly. Nothing like the mild "pandemic" we are experiencing today. Many thousands of families were suddenly wiped out overnight. You don't see that in cowboy shows...

Review # 2 was written on 2016-01-28 00:00:00 Eric Lipps A great book for researching the area. Not necessarily an exciting read 'story-wise,' but very good for historical research purposes and for learning the layout of the land and its early pioneers.