by Jim Vandergriff
Knox College
Galesburg, IL

This is an interesting book in its own right, but I think of special interest to a rather small group of people -- those with a particular interest in Montana and Utah history, and those interested in the history of commerce and transportation. I don’t say that to disparage the book; I read it cover to cover and found it both easy to read and mildly interesting. However, I don’t see that it makes any great contribution to American history in general, and certainly not to any area of it Missouri folklorists are likely to be interested in, with a couple of exceptions.

One of those exceptions is the role of Wells Fargo in the development of transportation in Montana. As that company moves into the midwest, I at least find it interesting to compare the company’s business practices today to those of 100 years ago.

Another exception is the title term "jehu." This one intrigued me, so I was glad the authors provided a gloss on page 113: "[The stagecoach driver] was usually called the Jehu, after the Old Testament verse found in 2 Kings 9:20: ‘and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi: for he driveth furiously.’" Two things struck me about this term. One is that when I was a rambunctious kid my dad often called me, derogatorily, a "yahoo." (At least I thought that was what he was saying.) Later, as an English major, I came to associate the term with Gulliver’s Travels. Since my dad was spawned by a long line of Baptist preachers, and was not educated beyond high school, I think the Old Testament source more likely to be his than the literary. So, I learned something from this book: Dad was calling me a "jehu," not a "yahoo."

Actually, there are a few other similar elements in this book. For instance, at various places in the work, the authors discuss the lore of the freight haulers. Page 64 gives a kind of interesting insight into the entertainments they provided themselves -- fiddle and accordion music and "stag dances." There are also discussions of dress, examples of language, commentary on gender roles, and the like. Of course, this is a history book, so the authors don’t really focus on the folkloric elements, but the data is certainly there for anyone who’s interested.

So, it’s a good book which does a good job of illuminating a small piece of the history of American’s exploitation of the West. It’s well written and pleasant to read. I can readily recommend it to anyone with an interest in Montana/Utah history. I think it’s a good book.