Green River Cliffs, Wyoming by Thomas Moran

Dr. Moon has provided a list of requirements for the research project. The project is broken into several stages, including a project proposal, a primary source analysis, an annotated bibliography, a final presentation, and a research paper.

This page is a guide to researching the history of the American West. The page is divided into five sections:

• Overviews
• Books
• Articles
• Primary sources
• Finding sources in class on January 29th

I recommend bookmarking this page.

Don't cite overviews. Instead, read them to find clues to follow up on. Write down clues that you find, such as the names of people or places or things that you could type in search boxes. Pay attention to the citations at the ends of overviews -- you might be able to use some of the cited sources yourself.

Wikipedia is a good place to find basic overviews on any subject.

In Simpson Library, find overviews in the Reference section on the first floor. I recommend these Reference books:

Search for books and e-books on the library website.

Or, browse the shelves. Many of our books about the American West are shelved between F 590.3 and F 596.3.

For books about specific places within the West, browse these call numbers:

• F597 The Northwest
• F598 Missouri River and Valley
• F601-615 Minnesota
• F616-630 Iowa
• F631-645 North Dakota
• F646-660 South Dakota
• F661-675 Nebraska
• F676-690 Kansas
• F691-705 Oklahoma
• F721-722 Rocky Mountains. Yellowstone National Park
• F726-740 Montana
• F741-755 Idaho
• F756-770 Wyoming
• F771-785 Colorado
• F786-790 New Southwest. Colorado River, Canyon, and Valley
• F791-805 New Mexico
• F806-820 Arizona
• F821-835 Utah
• F836-850 Nevada
• F850.5-851.5 Pacific States
• F851.7 Cascade Range
• F852-854 Pacific Northwest. Columbia River and Valley. Northwest boundary since 1846
• F856-870 California
• F871-885 Oregon
• F886-900 Washington
• F901-951 Alaska
• F951 Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands

For a complete breakdown of the call numbers, see this PDF.

The simplest way to find journal articles is to use the library search box. That's a good place to start. However, consider searching the history databases as well. I recommend the database America: History & Life.

Primary sources are historical documents from the time that you're studying. They provide evidence to establish what is true or false.

Here are some strategies for finding primary sources:

• Read citations and see which primary sources are being cited. Find citations in overviews (such as Wikipedia) or in secondary sources (such as books or journal articles).
• Find primary sources in library books, often with subject headings that include the term Sources.
• Find collections of primary sources online using Google.
• Browse collections of primary sources on websites such as these:

There are many other archives beyond these four. To find more archives, see these lists from Christopher Newport University:

In class today, please work in groups of two or three to find sources.

Do this:

1. Decide which topic your group will research today. You can use your own topic, or use one of these practice topics:
   • Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show
   • The California Gold Rush
   • The Chinese Exclusion Act
   • The Dust Bowl
   • The Lewis and Clark Expedition
   • The Oregon Trail
   • The Pony Express
   • Treaties between the US and American Indian nations
2. Skim through the Wikipedia article about your topic. Pay attention to the sources listed at the end.
3. Find at least one good book (or e-book) and at least one good primary source.

Feel free to leave this room to get books off the shelves, but be sure to return promptly.

I will ask for volunteers to share what they found.