"Levine has written what will stand as a definitive history of women and the Santa Fe Trail, and by extension, all the political, social, cultural, economic changes, upheaval, and turmoil of the the Santa Fe Trail era from the 1820s to the 1880s."—Wagon Tracks
“There is no more storied American passage than the Santa Fe Trail, and no better guide to the history of the route than Fran Levine. In Crossings, Levine brings her wealth of knowledge to illuminate the lives of diverse women who traveled and women who waited. Her engrossing narrative is an indispensable contribution to our understanding of the people, places, and ideas that made the American West.”—Virginia Scharff, coauthor of Home Lands: How Women Made the West
“Fran Levine invites us to step into the Crossings. Who you find in the passages may surprise and challenge you, but they will also inspire you. These are no ordinary people—captives, companions, and catalysts—but they stand among those that history has forgotten, lives obscured in part by the male figures that loomed large in their lives, but also silenced by those creating the imprints from which history is recorded.”—Estevan Rael-Gálvez, executive director of Native Bound-Unbound
“What an engaging collection of fascinating stories, allowing us to meet several women and the men associated with them in their travels on the Santa Fe Trail. A lively account of the convergence of cultures, spotlighting the symbiotic and sometimes conflicted relationships that developed. You'll find it most entertaining, informative, and enjoyable!”—Dave Kendall, executive producer, Prairie Hollow Productions and The Road to Santa Fe
“Steel rails put an end to the Santa Fe Trail more than 140 years ago, but in this important work, Fran Levine shows us that there’s still much to learn about this fabled road and its legacy. Through the lives of the trail-traveling women she ably explores, we are given unique windows not only into a swirling era of US westward expansion but the equally fascinating human experience.”—Mark Lee Gardner, author of The Earth Is All That Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation
“Levine masterfully recasts much of what we thought we knew about the Santa Fe Trail and the people who traveled on it. In ways no other scholar has even attempted, she recounts the remarkable experiences of women who traversed the trail. Convincingly relocating the trail’s eastern terminus to St. Louis demonstrates the inextricable links between that city and Santa Fe, which enriches our understanding of cultural and economic exchange between the Midwest and Southeast.”—Rick Hendricks, coauthor of Pablo Abeita: The Life and Times of a Native Statesman of Isleta Pueblo, 1870–1940