BOOKS  FOR  BACKCOUNTRY  ENTHUSIASTS  . . .

Here are books about a variety of Yellow Pine area-related subjects…

(Your use of these Amazon.com links will help to support the museum – YPBHM earns commissions on qualifying purchases. CLICK ON THE IMAGES where there are images…otherwise on the colored links)

HISTORY  -  LOCAL  . . .


Bound for the Backcountry: A History of Idaho's Remote Airstrips, by Richard H. Holm (2012) – a big, detailed compendium of well-researched historical detail about places as well as airstrips specifically, with many wonderful old photographs; at least 1/4 of the book is on our area



Cabin Creek Chronicle: The History of the Most Remote Ranch in America, by G. Wayne Minshall (2014) – a book that "wraps around" Minshall's story of the Caswells at Thunder Mountain (Wilderness Brothers - see below), focusing on their settlement east of Big Creek, and on the pre-settlement events as well as later residents in that vicinity



For Better or Worse: The Legacy of William “Deadshot” Reed, by Kathy Deinhardt Hill (2003) – story of the Reed family, parents and 12 children who grew up near the S. Fork Guard Station and attended school in Yellow Pine


Idaho Mountains Our Home: The Life Story of Lafe and Emma Cox, by Emma Cox (1997) – memoirs full of local history and photos (the Coxes honeymooned out of Big Creek, ran Cox Dude Ranch on Johnson Creek for decades, raised 2 girls in the backcountry; Lafe was long a guide to local lakes, went to the first school in Yellow Pine in 1920)



He Gave Me a Song, by Rose Marie Saleen Rebillet (1978) – a memoir of a woman who raised her family in Cascade and Yellow Pine, among other places, and later lived at a ranch on the South Fork of the Salmon



Mountains of Memory: A Fire Lookout’s Life in the River of No Return Wilderness, by Don Scheese (2001) – an account of 12 seasons as a USFS fire lookout:  the daily life, local geology and flora/fauna, and musings on wilderness



Pans, Picks & Shovels: Mining in Valley County, Idaho, by the Valley County History Project (2012) – a collection of articles about a plethora of mines and miners, most in the mountains; plenty of historic photos to go with them (contact:  VCHP, PO Box 1886, McCall, ID 83638)



Rewards of Rage: The Deadshot Reed Story as Told to the Author, by Art Colson (1997) – history of William “Deadshot” Reed (see For Better or Worse), who was given the nickname for his prowess and unhesitancy in using a gun to defend his interests



Wilderness Brothers: Prospecting, Horse Packing, & Homesteading, by G. Wayne Minshall (2012) – about the Caswell Brothers who were responsible for the early development of Thunder Mountain (see also Minshall's Cabin Creek Chronicle above)



Yellow Pine, Idaho, by Nancy G. Sumner, ed. (1993) – a compilation of stories about Yellow Pine and the surrounding areas as told by the old-timers and organized by “flat-lander” Nancy Sumner (cover by one-time local artist Al Haskins) – to purchase, email: “fieldsmarjie (at) yahoo.com” ($15 + S/H)




HISTORY  -  REGIONAL


Alpine Sentinels: A Chronicle of the Sheep Eater Indians, by Tony Taylor (2001) – this was the tribe of Shoshone-Bannock which herded sheep through the Yellow Pine Basin as late as the early 1900s



Idaho for the Curious: A Guide, by Cort Conley (1982) – a mega compendium of interesting history and attributes of about all of Idaho’s places and spaces, sorted by driving routes, with a section on Warm Lake, Yellow Pine, Stibnite, Edwardsburg, and Big Creek



Miles from Nowhere: In Search of the American Frontier, by Dayton Duncan (1994) – a truly wonderfully written exploration of the contemporary not-much-populated West in juxtaposition to the early frontier of a hundred years before (and guess what tiny Idaho mountain village is pictured on the original cover!)



Valley County Idaho: Prehistory to 1920, by the Valley County History Project, ed. by Shelton Woods (2002) – includes a chapter by Deanna Riebe on the Yellow Pine area





FLORA / FAUNA


Birds of Idaho: Field Guide, by Stan Tekiela (2003) – take-along paperback with large color photos and arranged by primary color, with information on juvenile and winter appearances



Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest, by William Neill (2007) – a field guide (lots of color photos) to identifying 118 butterflies in various stages of growth



Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest, by Steve Trudell & Joe Ammirati (2009) – color photos of 460 regional mushrooms of all types in a field guide size, with edibility noted, plus tips for the would-be picker



Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest, by Doug Benoliel (2011, rev. ed.) – 50+ edibles (plus a section on can-fool-you poisonous plants), with detailed line drawings, advice on harvesting and storing, even some recipes



Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains, by James Halfpenny (2001, 2nd ed.) – descriptions and illustrations of the droppings and other tell-tale signs of 70 different mammals, birds, even reptiles and amphibians of the mountains, very interesting as well as useful



Wild Trees of Idaho, by Frederic D. Johnson (1996) – a field guide with ecological information on native trees and smaller vegetation



Wildflowers of the Inland Northwest, by Ralph & Peggy Faust (1999) – a packable paperback arranged by color, with color photos and interesting facts about the 200+ flowers identified (including native uses)



Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest: Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates, by David Moskowitz (2010) – 180+ animals covered, including ecology and microhabitats as well as scat, tracks (gait patterns, spacing), and other signs of occupation, with many color photos




MINING / PROSPECTING / GEOLOGY


Idaho Minerals: The Complete Reference Guide to the Minerals of Idaho, by Lanny R. Ream (2004, 2nd ed.) – many good photos plus field guides



Modern Prospecting: How to Find, Claim and Sell Mineral Deposits, by Roger McPherson (2003) – not a rock hounding book but a practical manual on how to go about more serious prospecting and bringing it along to production



Roadside Geology of Idaho, by David D. Alt (1989) – a great way to learn what you’re seeing alongside the highways and byways…so you’ll have a better idea of what you’re hiking through in the mountains, too





RECREATION


Backcountry Cooking: From Pack to Plate in Ten Minutes, by Dorcas S. Miller (1998) – 140+ varied recipes for quick camp meals using standard ingredients, information about home food dehydration and at-home prep for the meals



Fly Idaho!: A Guide to Adventure in the Idaho Backcountry, by Galen L. Hanselman (1998) – color photos, lots of important as well as merely interesting information about using backcountry airports and bush strips



Flyfisher’s Guide to Idaho, by Ken Retallic & Rocky Barker (2010, 3rd ed.) – much on the major water, bits on most of the minor options, including this area, plus other useful local and fishing information, good maps/directions



Rafting the River of No Return Wilderness, by Thomas Walsh (2011 – Kindle only) – memoir of a family adventure vacation, also a good preparation for such a trip of your own



Trails of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, by Margaret Fuller (2002) – guidebook to 101 hiking and riding trails “back behind Big Creek” (a gateway to this federal wilderness area)


 


And to whet your appetite for being on the wild water, check out these videos – you are there!…


On the East Fork (goes past Yellow Pine):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku9_Zx7-g-w

On the South Fork (from W of Yellow Pine toward Riggins):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAvMcacjj1w

 

 

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