The Frontier Trail Or From Cowboy to Colonel. An Authentic Narrative of Forty-Three Years in the Old West as Cattle-Man, Indian Fighter and Army Officer. By Colonel Homer W. Wheeler (Retired) U.S. Army (Late Fifth Cavalry) With an introduction by Major-General James G. Harbord, Assistajnt Chief of Staff, United Stated Army

Bound in brick red cloth stamped brightly in black, the book is in very good minus condition. The front and rear boards are clean, the corners are bumped. With light wear and a touch of fraying to the top and bottom of the spine ends. The spine bulges a little because of the additional leaflets and letters glued in; and the hinges are tender and separating; the rear hinge is mostly sprung. This extra-illustrated copy is unique. First it is inscribed: "To W. Thornton Parker. M.D. With kind personal regards of the Author. Homer W. Wheeler Col. H.O. Cavalry. Retired. Los Angeles, Calif. May 13th 1924." The front paste-down bears the armorial bookplate of William Thornton Parker, M.D. The volume is then extra-illustrated with photographs, leaflets, and letters from Homer Wheeler to Thornton Parker. On the verso of the title page Dr. Parker has pasted a photograph of himself attired in buckskins, holding his rifle across his knees and cradling his dog's head with his right hand. Inscribed beneath the photo: "William Thornton Parker, M.D. Surgeon N.L. Indian Service-- White Earth Indian Reservation Minnesota 1879-80." On the next page is the photo of a Chippewa tomahawk and written in ink: "Presented to Dr. W. T. Parker by Chippewa War Chief Meeshee Kee Gee Shig." There are two sepia photos of "Fort Leavenworth Kansas, 1880" glued in between pages 196 and 197. Another striking sepia photograph is of "Fort Cummings New Mexico" tipped in after p. 124. There is an 8 page pamphlet titled: "Personal Experiences among our North American Indians from 1867 to 1885 by W. Thornton Parker, M.D. published in Northampton, MASS in 1913" tipped in opposite p. 309; and an article entitled: "The Evolution of the Colored Soldier by W. Thornton Parker, dated in ink 1899. In addition to several other pieces of ephemera glued in there are three letters (one 2 pages) written in black ink in Homer Wheeler's hand and signed by him. The letters are tipped-in at the front and rear of the book and dated 1922 and 1924. There are also a few newspaper articles glued in along with Military Testimonials from 1915.…