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In Whoop-Up Country Paul Sharp describes the history of an area that encompasses parts of Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. This area was home to the Whoop-Up trail that served as major commercial artery in the northern great plains. In the book he talks about how the town of Fort Benton had to deal with various issues that came from being on the trail and also how being on the trail had transformed the town over time. Sharp also tells of the struggle to bring lawfulness into the region through the use of different policies and security groups.

One of the most interesting themes of the book was how the Canadians differed in their policies regarding Indians versus what the United States was doing. The Canadian policy seemed to be one that focused more on trying maintain the peace between Indians and traders rather then just getting rid of the Indians in the name of progress. One of the major problems in keeping the peace was the whiskey trade. This practice was used by traders to take advantage of the Indians while trading furs and horses. The Indian would be taken advantage with whisky and would usually end up giving away his valuable furs for nothing more then some watered down whiskey. This practice outraged many Canadians and forced the government into action. To stop this the government formed the Northwest Canadian Mounted Police who were ordered to cross the plains and put a stop to this practice. The Mounties succeeded in driving out the whiskey traders and ended up winning the respect of local natives. In fact the Mounties were so successful that some south of the border wished that Washington would enact such a policy. Hearing about how Canada treated the Indians definitely made wonder what would have happened if the United States had done the same?

Overall, I think Sharp did a great job at telling the history of this largely forgotten area of North America. He was able to put forward an honest look into the many characters and events that occurred from when the trail came to be until the railroads moved in and the region became less prominent.