Study Guide: The Log of a Cowboy.

Chapters I-VIII

Who was Andy Adams? When and why did he write this book? What strengths and weaknesses mark this genre?

Why did the narrator's' family go West? From where? How does his family's background affect the story and the history of the West?

When did the action described in the book occur? Where?

Adams uses some remarkable and some detestable language. What does his vocabulary indicate about the era in which Adams lived and wrote and about the character of people and cultures who settled in the West in the late 19th century?

What was a cowboy's work day like?

What could cause a stampede and what difficulties did it create for the cowboys?

Water and aridity are often cited as defining characteristics of the West. How did water figure in a cattle drive?

How did cowboys entertain themselves on a drive?

How did rustlers operate and what happened to alleged rustlers in this section of the book? What does the presence of rustlers and the state of law enforcement indicate about the nature of the West at this time?

What role did town such as Abilene play in cattle drives?

How did bison and cattle mix? To what end?

Chapters IX-XV

How does Adams describe the country through which he travels? (This is worth watching throughout the book.)

How do you rate a cowboy's life? Why would Adams write about it and why might it merit an assignment in a history class in 2009?

How does Adams describe Apaches and what does it say about the region's and the nation's history?

How did rivers figure in cattle drives? What dangers did they present? How did the outfit handle them? (Important throughout.)

Adams' work offers insights to social relations on the trail and in 19th-century America. What clues does he offer and how do you interpret them?

What did a visit to a city mean for the cowboys and how was it handled?

Some of the cowboys' stories comment on perceptions of the East and the West. In the cowboys' minds, how did the regions compare? What do you make of these comparisons?

Chapters XVI-XXIV

How did the cowboys' experiences in Ogallala, Frenchman's Ford, and Silver Bow compare to their other town experiences?

How did the group handle death on the trail?

What does the narrator say about the Blackfeet and what does it indicate about the West at that moment?

How did the drive end and what happened to its participants?

What does this book about a cattle drive reveal about the 19th-century West?