In Beyond the Frontier, Stan Hoig chronicles early explorations of Oklahoma. Focusing on expeditions during the first part of the nineteenth century, Hoig provides a useful history of the region during the period of its first discovery by the outside world.After describing what we know of Native life before the arrival of Europeans, Hoig recounts in vivid detail each successive intrusion, drawing on a wide variety of sources - diaries, memoirs, letters, and official documents - to bring these experiences to life. Writing of individuals famous and forgotten who braved an unknown world and provided lasting records of the land and its peoples, Hoig includes details of Indian and frontier life often overlooked in scholarly studies. Further enhancing the narrative is an ample selection of illustrations, including photographs drawings, and detailed maps showing exploration routes.

A supplement to broader histories, Beyond the Frontier is written in a straightforward, engaging style accessible to all interested readers. The first book to synthesize accounts of explorations within the region, Hoig's narrative offers valuable insight into Oklahoma's - and western America's - colorful past.