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The so called whoop-up country and or trail is located in the northern plains, it is the strip of land east of the Colorado Rockies and up into parts Saskatchewan and Alberta of Canada. The books goes into depth about the history of the trade of the trail and leaks into subjects of drunken fools, to mounted heroes. The story of the trail is based upon the trade between the Canadians and Americans and what effects it had on the surrounding people. Many Natives were taken advantage of; traders even went as low as robbing them of fine or whiskey by watering it down. Sharp describes the trade of whiskey, fur, and bison goods up and down the trail with the main center being Fort Benson. A trading post that grew in size and quickly gained noticed amongst the trail, Sharp even goes as far as comparing it to Chicago. Whoop-up country tells a story of fearless Canadian Mountys who push through the rugged and violent terrain to restore law and order to the savage and ruthless ways of the Americans. Natives living on the American side of the border were being treated much differently on the Canadian side. This could be explained by comparing how many settlers were pushing west in each country and also looking at the density of natives in each country. The Canadians learned from example, by watching the Americans fail with policies and regulations the were cast upon the Natives, the Canadians had much more time and thought involved in the decision making.

This book keeps your attention with small stories that I imagined Dr. Isern telling himself. It was a good book went very well with our lectures by backing up points and repeating important information. The book does explain, thoroughly, how the evolution from open trading county to a more permanent system of trains and agriculture.