This is a history of the Southwest that emphasizes the stories of the 19th century. From the preface:"I have divided my narrative into distinct journeys, each complete in itself. The first is from Indianola, on the coast of Texas, where the Commission disembarked, via San Antonio and the northern route (not now travelled), to El Paso del Norte, about 850 miles. A second to the Copper Mines of New Mexico, in the Rocky Mountains near the Rio Gila, with a residence there of several months. A third to the interior of Sonora, and back. A fourth from the Copper Mines along the boundary line south of the Gila to the Rio San Pedro, and thence through another portion of Sonora to Guaymas on the Gulf of California. Fifth, a voyage from Guaymas to Mazatlan and Acapulco, and thence to San Diego, and San Francisco. Sixth, various journeys in California. Seventh, a journey from San Diego, by the Colorado and Gila rivers, to El Paso del Norte. And lastly, a journey through the States of Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, New Leon, Tamaulipas, and the south-western corner of Texas, to Corpus Christi on the Gulf of Mexico. These several journeys embrace an extent of nearly 5,000 miles by land.With reference to the aboriginal tribes, I have described with minuteness only those with which Iremained some time, and whose habits I had a good opportunity to study. I have also incidentally spoken of the tribes through whose countries I passed, without entering into any detail. This subject is so extensive, and requires so much study, that it can be done justice to only by being treated as a whole. I was so fortunate as to obtain vocabularies of more than twenty aboriginal languages, many of which had never been taken down before, and none so fully, as by me. These valuable testimonials of the now fast disappearing red race who preceded us in the possession of our country, I consider among the most important of my collections, and as such, I believe they will be esteemed by the learned. They each embrace two hundred words, and, with but two or three exceptions, were all taken down by myself, with great care, and according to one system.My further ethnological collections embrace portraits of many of these tribes, both male and female, showing the characteristic features of each. Sketches were also taken which exhibit their manners and customs, their arts, husbandry, etc. It is my desire to prepare a report on the ethnology of the Indian tribes of the extensive region explored by the Boundary Commission, should the government feel sufficient interest in the subject to authorize it. Without the aid of government, I shall be compelled to limit myself to a brief memoir, embracing merely my philological collections."