The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCulloughMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In some of the reviews I read of “The Pioneers” before I began listening to the audiobook, I got a sense that the book told too many stories of too many early settlers, and this concerned me. I don’t do well with books with huge casts that you had to keep track of. My worries were for naught – I enjoyed this story of the early settlers of Ohio and of the Ohio country and statehood. Being from Illinois and interested in early settler history, this felt very similar to reading about my area and the people that settled there. McCullough follows the stories of a few influential people involved in initial settlement, starting with a preacher/scientist who worked with congress to enable the initial “deal” creating the Ohio Company. McCullough then describes the travails of the initial group of settlers, including many Revolutionary War veterans, as well as leaders from subsequent waves of settlers. Mixed into the narrative are plenty of interesting stories, including a mention of Lafayette’s visit and salute to the old soldiers of freedom, and of Aaron Burr’s visit with the rich Blennerhassett family on their private island in the Ohio River to plot the overthrow of Mexico. I found the book held my interest throughout – McCullough found some great stories in this area and time and drew out the historical significance of events here.
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