The Land, The Law, and the Lord: The Life of Pat Neff (review)

82Southwestern Historical QuarterlyJuly Unfortunately for the author, her subject is neither new—a half-dozen books and articles have been published on it in die last several decades—nor truly useful to historians, as she presents no new information or interpretations in diis volume. In fact, she refuses even to take a position on White's disputed descent down the Colorado River. The purpose ?? Drifting West is to tell die story of these two nomadic Americans on the make in die mid-nineteenth-century West. James West's rambling adventures across the West make the most interesting portions of diis book. This book is a mostly chronological narrative of White and Baker's adventures . The first chapter begins widi the party of four men (which included George Strove and Joe Goodfellow) in search of mining claims in Colorado in 1867. Baker, who had been seeking his fortune in the state since the start of die decade, was a charismatic, ambitious self-promoter who never found success in the mines. James White met up with Baker seven years after leaving his home of Wisconsin, having been pushed west by the economic troubles brought about by die Panic of 1857. White had ventured across the West, joined a wagon train in i860, and visited mining regions in Colorado and Nevada. Hejoined die Union army and served in a cavalry unit in California and die Southwest, was found guilty of coffee theft, and spent time in a militaryjail. Following his honorable discharge, he worked at prospecting and as a stage driver in Kansas. In Fort Dodge, Kansas, White finally met up with Baker and his other companions . Led by Baker, diey left for Colorado in 1867 on a prospecting trip to the mines of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. They stumbled past Mesa Verde and headed into the arid desert, planning to head down the San Juan River. In mid-August, die party was ambushed—supposedly by Ute Indians —and Baker was killed. According to White, Goodfellow also died in the attack . The two survivors collected supplies and built a raft to head downriver. George Strole, White claimed, later drowned in die river, leaving White to float alone for 500 miles down die Colorado River. James White emerged in Nevada as the sole survivor of the ill-fated party. He became a celebrity when his astonishing story became widely known. Two years later John Wesley Powell and his men made die first verified transit of the Grand Canyon. Simmons's work is frustrating for the professional historian. There are a variety of published sources already available and primary sources are limited. Thus, she is unable to add much to the history or historiography of this incident. Readers with an interest in the history of the Colorado River or territorial Colorado may find Drifting West of interest. However, few professional historians or general readers will have a reason to add this book to their libraries. Stephen F. Austin State UniversityJeff Bremer The Land, The Law, and the Lord: The Life ofPat Neff. By Dorthy Blodgett, Terrell Blodgett, and David L. Scott, foreword by Ann Richards. (Austin: Home Place Publishers, 2007. Pp. 400. Black-and-white plates, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN 97809761 15229. $24.95, cloth.) 2??8Book Reviews83 Pat M. Neff was in public life for fifty years. He served as governor of Texas during one of the most trying periods in the state's history. Neff shepherded Baylor University, die state's oldest, through the Great Depression and into postwar prosperity. Neff also served as a state legislator from 1899 to 1905. His most lasting legacies to the state are its park system, which he established, and conservation of Texas's water resources that began with an aerial survey that he commissioned . Neff, a Baptist, saw service to the state and God as one and die same. The "land," the "law," and die "Lord" were interminably connected. Neff began life on his family's farm on the McLennan-Coryell county line in central Texas. The land was some of the most productive cotton-growing land in die country and Neff maintained close ties to it throughout his life. He used...