Centennial

Just finished reading "Centennial" by James A. Michener. I highly recommend it. It's a long story--1038 pages--but well worth reading. Although it is fiction, I think I've learned more about the history of the American west from this one novel than I learned in all of my American history classes put together. The saga begins in prehistoric times with a thorough explanation of the geological formation of the Rocky Mountain range. Unless you are some sort of geology geek, this part can be rather tedious. Hang in there: it's a relatively short part of a fastinating saga. What I really love about Michener (I've also read "Chesapeake" and "Poland") is that he is an expert at mixing actual history with engrossing fiction. While the characters are fictional, certain background events and people are real. For example, there never was a Colonel Frank Skimmerhorn, but there really was a John Chivington, a Union soldier and leader of the Colorado Territory Militia who lead a massacre of Native Americans on their reservation at Sand Creek in Kiowa County, Colorado in 1864. I also like the way Michener engages in subtle play on words, especially surnames. For example, the greedy and unscrupulous Thespian-turned-real estate baron named Mervin Wendell. In the name "Wendell", I think Michener may be alluding to a risky, trick-taking card game in which players must be cunning in their calculation of risk. The name of the card game: Wendellhead. Then there are the irritable and flatulent Mexican Colonels Frijoles and Fabregas.