New Book Releases

We’re always on the hunt for the next great American history book. When we find it, you’ll see about it here, with our new book releases. We release new history books each month in a variety of subjects and series. Browse through all of our newest titles below, and discover your next favorite history book at Arcadia Publishing! [View all New Book Releases]

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Helena

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Rock Creek Valley

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Historic Underground Missoula

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Taming Big Sky Country:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Haunted Helena:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Stories from Montana's Enduring Frontier

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Literary Butte

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Montana's Waldron Creek Fire:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Missoula Mercantile: The Store that Ran an Empire

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Lucky to Live in Montana

$16.99 $12.74 Save 25%

Wise Animal Handbook Montana, The

$16.99 $12.74 Save 25%

Lost Butte, Montana

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

West Yellowstone

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Deer Lodge

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Jefferson County

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Little Bighorn

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Ghosts of the Last Best Place

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Confederates in Montana Territory

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Murder along the Yellowstone Trail

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Montana Territory and the Civil War

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Montana Beer

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

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Helena

9780738559773

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Helena began in 1864 as a mining camp with the discovery of gold along Last Chance Gulch (soon to become Helena's main street). In 1875, Helena became the territorial capital of Montana, and in 1894 it outpolled Anaconda in a statewide election to become the permanent state capital. Postcard images captured many of Helena's landmarks and events over the past century, including the magnificent Broadwater Hotel and Natatorium, pre-urban-renewal Main Street, and the ravages of the 1935 earthquake. This book features postcard images of the Helena area, the majority of which have never been published in book or magazine form.

Rock Creek Valley

9780738599991

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The bountiful variety of plants, wildlife, water, and fertile soil found in Montana's Rock Creek Valley has attracted people for centuries. The Apsàalooke--predecessors of the Crow Indians--migrated to the region in the 1600s. The valley's next influx of settlers came after the Crow accessioned land for homesteading in 1892. But long before it was open to settlers, John Colter and other fur trappers crisscrossed the region during the 1830s. John Bozeman and Jim Bridger charted the Bozeman Trail through the Rock Creek Valley in the 1860s. James "Yankee Jim" George discovered coal deposits near Red Lodge in 1866, which brought the Northern Pacific Railway in 1889; an industrial boom followed. Emigrants from Finland, Italy, Austria, and Scotland as well as pioneers from the East and Midwest started farming communities in Fox, Roberts, Boyd, and Joliet, all of which grew into major shipping points for grain, beans, sugar beets, hay, poultry, and wool. Further upstream, in Red Lodge, tourism supplanted coal as the predominant industry with the opening of the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone Park in 1936.

Historic Underground Missoula

9781626199194

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Much of Missoula's history lies beneath the surface. As in many Old West cities, cavernous underground tunnel systems purportedly hid countless nefarious activities, from clandestine prostitution and Chinese opium dens to booze running during Prohibition. These sordid tales captivate today's residents and beg questions about the city's furtive past. Did local elite gentlemen mask their carnal habits there? Did John Wayne really use the passageways to run personal errands unnoticed? Author and urban archaeologist Nikki Manning ventures below to reconcile oral history with archaeological data in a fascinating exploration of Missoula's subterranean labyrinths.

Taming Big Sky Country:

9781626198524

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Drives this breathtaking did not come easy. Cruising down Montana's scenic highways, it's easy to forget that traveling from here to there once was a genuine adventure. The state's major routes evolved from ancient Native American trails into four-lane expressways in a little over a century. That story is one of difficult, groundbreaking and sometimes poor engineering decisions, as well as a desire to make a journey faster, safer and more comfortable. It all started in 1860, when John Mullan hacked a wagon road over the formidable Rocky Mountains to Fort Benton. It continued until the last section of interstate highway opened to traffic in 1988. Montana Department of Transportation historian Jon Axline charts a road trip through the colorful and inspiring history of trails, roads and superhighways in Big Sky Country.

Haunted Helena:

9781609499341

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Helena was born of the gold rush, nurtured by the wealth of its financiers and raised on its political struggles. The lawless gold camp and its vigilante hangings left an indelible imprint on the modern community. Restless spirits from Helena's turbulent past still linger around town. Historian and award-winning author Ellen Baumler blends history with the supernatural as she expertly weaves the past with the present in a ghostly web. Firsthand accounts and historical records add credibility to these spooky but true tales. Explore the legacy of the hangman's tree and meet the ghosts of historic Last Chance Gulch. These stories and more bring to light the shadowy places in Helena where the past sometimes comes to life.

Stories from Montana's Enduring Frontier

9781626190160

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

At the turn of the twentieth century, Montana started emerging from its rugged past. Permanent towns and cities, powered by mining, tourism, and trade, replaced ramshackle outposts. Yet Montana's frontier endured, both in remote pockets and in the wider cultural imagination. The frontier thus played a continuing role in Montanans' lives, often in fascinating ways. Author John Clayton has written extensively on these shifts in Montana history, chronicling the breadth of the frontier's legacy with this diverse collection of stories. Explore the remnants of Montana's frontier through stories of the Little Bighorn Battlefield, the Beartooth Highway, and the lost mining camp of Swift Current--and through legendary characters such as Charlie Russell, Haydie Yates, and "Liver-eating" Johnston.

Literary Butte

9781626198364

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Known worldwide as the "Richest Hill on Earth," Butte, Montana, lured immigrants from every part of the world to sweat in the copper mines that powered America in its Gilded Age. Dozens of writers celebrated this "wide-open town" with impassioned novels of the rugged souls who braved the western frontier at the edge of the Continental Divide. They wrote of the opulence of success and the agony of broken dreams. They catalogued the clash between labor and capital as Butte boomed from a crude village of mules and men to prestige as Montana's biggest city with towering buildings of brick and iron. In Literary Butte, award-winning author Aaron Parrett surveys the wealth of literature that has come from the town that calls itself "Butte, America."

Montana's Waldron Creek Fire:

9781467119269

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

On August 25, 1931, five men died fighting the devastating Waldron Creek Fire west of Choteau, Montana. Lacking training and preparation, Herbert Novotny, Frank Williamson, Hjalmer G. Gunnarson, Ted Bierchen and Charles Allen dashed into the flames and never stood a chance. The Teton County coroner added insult to injury, noting that each had "no one to blame but himself." Three men were buried in unmarked graves. Records show that the body of the fifth was returned to his family, but no burial site is known. Only one has a headstone. National Smokejumper Association chief historian Dr. Charles Palmer shines a light on this important story, finally honoring the heroic sacrifice that led to critical changes in wildland firefighting.

The Missoula Mercantile: The Store that Ran an Empire

9781609494094

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

From its log cabin beginnings at a dusty crossroads in Montana Territory, the Missoula Mercantile grew to become the largest department store between Minneapolis and Seattle. Under the guidance of A.B. Hammond and C.H. McLeod and their policy of community involvement and customer satisfaction, the Merc became a household word in Montana, synonymous with square dealing. Join historian Minie Smith as she traces the story of a western institution, remembering everything from the Missoula Mercantile's hardware department, with its creaky wooden floors and drawers of nuts and bolts, to its ladies' apparel department, which offered a taste of the big city with silks, satins and velveteens. From horseshoes to hosieries, the Merc had what customers needed and knew what they wanted.

Lucky to Live in Montana

9780738528038

$16.99 $12.74 Save 25%

.What do you get when you cross a read-aloud storybook with a write-in memory book? Magic moments between kids and adults! The Lucky to Live in Montana book is the perfect tool to jump-start meaningful conversations between generations. Read-aloud rhymes set up interesting topics. Then write-in prompts invite children to record their own views to create a personal Big Sky State keepsake. The real gift lies in the interactive nature of the book as it offers the perfect opportunity for adults to share their own stories and wisdom about such issues as friendship, community, team spirit, and other topics that help develop a child's social and emotional skills. Customized Montana content—from favorite local cuisine (bison burger) to interesting attractions (Glacier National Park)—provides an even more personalized experience.

Wise Animal Handbook Montana, The

9780738528298

$16.99 $12.74 Save 25%

Read-aloud time is about to get a lot more fun!

The Montana Wise Animal Handbook offers laugh-out-loud animal kingdom advice for kids of every age! Engaging animal photos entertain while charming read-aloud rhymes help jump-start conversations about practical life solutions.
The Read Together/Do Together? experience continues with pull out coloring pages in the back of the book featuring fun facts about special Big Sky Country animals including the grizzly bear and morning cloak butterfly.
Enjoy the opportunity to share your own practical wisdom with your favorite little one as you read-aloud... and laugh-aloud....again and again.

Lost Butte, Montana

9781609495947

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

From the stately Queen Anne mansions of the West Side to the hastily constructed shanties of Cabbage Patch, Lost Butte, Montana traces the city's history through its architectural heritage.

This book includes such highlights as the Grand Opera House, once graced by entertainers and cultural icons like Charlie Chaplin, Sarah Bernhardt and Mark Twain; the infamous brothels protested by reformer Carrie Nation, wielding her hatchet and sharp tongue; and the Columbia Gardens, built by copper king William Clark as a respite from the smoke and toil of the mines and later destroyed by fire. Through the stories of these structures, lost to the march of time and urban renewal, historian Richard Gibson recalls the boom and bust of Butte, once a mining metropolis and now part of the largest National Historic Landmark District.

West Yellowstone

9780738570877

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Founded in 1908 to provide services for visitors arriving at the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the town of West Yellowstone, Montana, serves tens of thousands of international travelers each year. From 1908 to 1960, visitors arrived on Union Pacific Railroad parlor cars and boarded awaiting stagecoaches or, in later years, touring buses to embark on their journey to Wonderland. The railroad no longer serves this popular gateway city, but West Yellowstone boasts the largest and most historically intact railroad complex built specifically to serve national park tourists. This historic railroad district, as well as the town, imparts to many visitors a sense of the adventure experienced during the golden age of railroad travel and public transportation.

Deer Lodge

9780738570785

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

In the language of the Shoshone, Sacagawea's people, the Deer Lodge Valley was it-soo-ke-en-carne. The name referred to a lodge-shaped mound--a natural salt lick where deer gathered. By the early 1800s, French-Canadian trappers and traders were exploring the valley's river (now known as the Clark Fork River) and its tributaries. The Shoshone name was translated into French as la loge du chevreuil. Soon, as Montana's gold rush began, traders from Fort Hall in southern Idaho settled here. The town became Spanish Fork, Cottonwood, La Barge City, and finally the Shoshone name returned, now in English, as Deer Lodge.

Jefferson County

9780738570358

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Jefferson County was created in 1865 when the legislature of the newly formed Montana Territory met for the first time. Its residents played a significant role in the development of economic stability, educational opportunities, and solid communities in southwestern Montana. Through the efforts of Jefferson County pioneers, ranching, railroading, and mining became a secure way of life. The early towns of Whitehall and Boulder provided lodging for travelers along the Virginia City to Fort Benton stage routes, and Whitehall later became a center for railroad commerce when the Northern Pacific established a base there. In 1883, Boulder became the seat of local government, while the surrounding area provided a viable agricultural economy. Fertile ores of gold and silver yielded riches in the small communities of Elkhorn, Basin, Comet, and Clancy. The hardworking residents of Jefferson County enhanced the history of Montana through their efforts in the mining, ranching, and railroad industries.

Little Bighorn

9780738570075

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

The Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25-26, 1876, is one of the most controversial and studied events in American history. While of relatively minor importance as military affair, the symbolic scene of "Custer's Last Stand" soon entered into the nation's public consciousness. First seen as the heroic sacrifice of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry against the combined forces of the Lakota and Cheyenne in the further settlement of the West, it has emerged as another tragic chapter in the treatment of American Indians. The battlefield in present-day southeastern Montana remains a popular destination for tourists and scholars alike.

Ghosts of the Last Best Place

9781467136150

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Montana's past embodied the rough, unforgiving and often vicious nature of the old Wild West. Unscrupulous gold camps and railroad expansion attracted the good, bad and ugly from all across the Union and as far as China. Many a soul shed blood under the Big Sky, leaving restless spirits to linger. Discover the famous cowboy artist who refuses to leave his Missoula home. Exhume the truth behind Stormit Butte, investigate the mystery at Brush Lake and become enraptured with the firsthand account of a Browning rancher's attempts at reconciliation with the ghost of a murdered Chinese rail laborer. Historian and award-winning author Ellen Baumler presents this collection of Last Best Place hauntings.

Confederates in Montana Territory

9781626196032

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Confederate veterans flocked to the Montana Territory at the end of the Civil War. Seeking new opportunities after enduring the hardships of war, these men and their families made a lasting impact on the region. Their presence was marked across the territory in places like Confederate Gulch and Virginia City. Now meet the fascinating characters who came to Big Sky country after the war, including guerrillas who fought with William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson, as well as cavalrymen who rode with Confederate legends General Nathan Bedford Forrest and Colonel John S. Mosby. Author and historian Ken Robison recounts where these soldiers came from, why they fought for the South, what drew them to the Montana Territory and how they helped shape the region.

Murder along the Yellowstone Trail

9781467144544

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Crime and Punishment

In the fall of 1920, two couples pulled into a campsite just off the famous Yellowstone Trail. A few weeks later, one couple drove away, while the other simply vanished. The identities and fate of the couple left behind didn’t hit newsstands until three years later. In one of the most sensational murder cases ever played out in a Montana court, Seth Orrin Danner put up a fight for his life and lost. The state executed Seth on July 18, 1924, at the Gallatin County Jail, but did he commit the crimes?

Historian Kelly Hartman follows the trail of the Danner family from Kansas to Montana and details the trial of the century, trying to decipher what truly happened in Central Park on that grisly day.

Montana Territory and the Civil War

9781626191754

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In 1862, gold discoveries brought thousands of miners to camps along Grasshopper Creek. By 1864, the Federal government had carved the Montana Territory out of the existing Idaho and Dakota Territories. Gold from Montana Territory fueled the Union war effort, yet loyalties were mixed among the miners. In this compelling collection of stories, historian Ken Robison illustrates how Southern sympathizers and Union loyalists, deserters and veterans, freed slaves and former slaveholders living side by side made a volatile and vibrant mix that molded Montana. Discover how fiery personalities like Union Colonel Sidney Edgerton and General Thomas Francis Meagher fought to keep order in the newly formed frontier, while brave Confederate and Union veterans and their hardy families created an enduring legacy that helped shape modern Montana.

Montana Beer

9781626190214

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Montana's brewing history stretches back more than 150 years to the state's days as a territory. But the art of brewing in Montana has come a long way since the frontier era. Today, nearly forty craft breweries span the Treasure State, and the quality of their output rivals the best craft beer produced anywhere in the country. Maybe it's because there's also a little piece of Montana in every glass, as the state's brewers pride themselves on using cold mountain water and locally sourced barley harvested from Montana's ample fields. From grain to glass, Montana Beer: A Guide to Breweries in Big Sky Country tells the story of the brewers and breweries that make the Treasure State's brew so special.