In the wilderness of New Mexico Territory, William Bent cast a long shadow on the pages of American history, engraving his name on mountain peaks and wilderness trails and in the hearts of all who knew him. His story is a fascinating document of a period when living was free and thrilling—and dangerous.

From boyhood Bent yearned to explore the mysterious trails into the unknown where white men never had been. Leaving his native St. Louis at sixteen, he signed with a fur company and journeyed by keelboat up the treacherous Missouri River, trapping the beaver streams. It was not long before he learned to surpass the Indians at their own skills and to speak their language fluently. When he reached New Mexico Territory he saved the lives of two Cheyenne braves, winning not only the loyalty of the entire Cheyenne nation but also the hand of the Chief's daughter in marriage.

Adventure, however, was not enough for William Bent—he wanted power and wealth. His dream on building a mammoth adobe fort-which would draw the Indian nations to trade with him—was realized by the time he was twenty five. It was named Fort William, although to the mountain men who knew it and spread its fame it was always "Bent's Fort." With William Bent in charge, the fort soon became the spearhead of American expansion to the Southwest and controlled a far-flung empire.

But the power and wealth he had gained eventually brought him tragedy, for here on the desolate plains his wife and brothers were killed. When the Plains Indians went on the warpath once again, Bent attempted to arrange a peace treaty, only to see his sons join their mother's tribe to fight against the white men.

In this exciting biography you meet men whose names are legend—Kit Carson, Dick Wooton, Bill Williams, John Charles Fremont, General Stephen Kearney-and come to know the adventure, drama and inspiration that were part of William Bent's life and his time. 

From the dust jacket