"Those who have gleaned their knowledge of Texas cattle drives and frontier settlements from TV and Hollywood westerns are in for some surprises. . . . Robert Dykstra 'tells it as it really was' in Wichita, Abilene, Ellsworth, Dodge City, and Caldwell during the two decades following the Civil War when entrepreneurs endeavored to capture the Texas cattle trade and utilize it as the economic base for building another Chicago or St. Louis on the edge of the Great Plains."—Publishers Weekly
"A towering landmark in our knowledge of the old West."—San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner
"One of the most intelligent, interesting, and worthwhile contributions to the field of Western history in some time. [Dykstra] has managed to say something rather basic about American culture in general."—William H. Goetzmann, University of Texas at Austin
"Excellent . . . readable and persuasive. . . . One of the most refreshing and rewarding approaches to be applied to western history topics in many years, for [Dykstra] is asking basic questions about social process and the nature of urban society. . . . "—American Historical Review
"This is social history at its best."—American Quarterly