Parkman, Francis
Francis (1823-1893), an eminent American historian. He was a Boston boy of good family. As a child he was fond of stories of the early settlement of New England. When a Harvard sophomore he formed the purpose of writing a history of the French and Indian War. The possession of family wealth enabled young Parkman to form his plans and to carry them out in his own way. He spent his vacations in camping and canoeing. His "postgraduate course" he took with a cousin among the Dakota Indians in the Black Hills. After his return he wrote his first volume, The Oregon Trail, a vivid account of the tents, villages, feasts, buffalo hunts, and filthy habits of the Dakota Indians. He made five trips to Europe to explore French and Indian archives, and visited every important American locality that his historical work led him to describe. The Conspiracy of Pontiac, The Jesuits in North America, The Discovery of the Great West, and Montcalm and Wolfe are perhaps his most important volumes. Parkman gave his life to a study of the Jesuits and their great work in the exploration and settlement of Canada and the region about the Great Lakes. It is not likely that any other writer will ever bring to the history of this period so extensive a knowledge of the facts, coupled with so brilliant a literary imagination. Parkman's volumes are a treasure-house, and should be read by every boy who is fond of American history.