Domesticating the West

“A useful study of an important topic. [Domesticating the West] will provide a beginning for similar investigations that will help enrich our understanding of the role of late-nineteenth-century middle-class community builders and leaders on the western frontier.”—William F. Willingham, Oregon Historical Quarterly

“Jackson successfully achieves her goal of providing the “nineteenth-century middle class with a face and identity” with her case study, which clearly points toward the importance of middle-class members in shaping the political, economic, and social landscapes of newly evolving communities in the US West.”—G. Grytz, Choice

“By detailing how middle-class individuals moved westward in attempts to improve their lives, Brenda K. Jackson’s work adds to a slowly expanding body of literature on the nineteenth-century American middle class in the post-Civil War era. . . . Jackson’s thorough research of family papers (especially Elizabeth and Thomas’s family letters), corporate records (Oregon Railway and Navigation Company papers) and government records (military and pension) from both coasts allows her to piece together a very detailed accounting of the Tannatts’ physical and class mobility. . . . Jackson’s strong narrative about one middle-class family’s westward and upward mobility will reward a careful reading.”—Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“Jackson’s book deftly shows how late-19th-century middle class migrants like the Tannatts helped shape the society, economy, and culture of the American West and the nation. The Tannatts’ story should appeal to those interested in the history of the American West and, particularly, eastern Washington.”—Robert Bauman, Washington State Magazine

“This is not simply a book about the thoughts, duties, and lives of a middle-class couple. At every step of their journey, Jackson relates the history of the times. . . . Domesticating the West is a well-written, splendidly researched book containing a treasure-trove of information. It provides a useful perspective for both historians and history buffs exploring the comings and goings of middle-class Americans.”—Pacific Northwest Quarterly