This was a good story, but nothing like the inspiring story of the real Montford Johnson. It seems that the Chickasaws and Gov. Anoatubby wanted to push an agenda that did not happen. Yes the Chickasaws were removed from the SE US. Montford Johnson in real life had a entrepreneurial spirit and was able to utilize the almost endless acres of Chickasaw territory to build a huge cattle ranch and to help other Chickasaws build their herds also. He developed the area of Byars, Newcastle, Tuttle, Minco, and Verden. His was a success story and the antagonistic relationship with the Army was not revealed in the book. If anything important was left out it was the antagonistic relationships the 5 civilized tribes had with the Plains Indians. Montford Johnson was the first to develop a good working relationship with the Comanche and Kiowa. Montford did travel to Florida to see the living conditions of the Indians and bought food and meat for them at his cost. They did leave out that at the Dawes Commission he got their voucher to claim 160 acres of land joining his so he could enlarge his ranches. He then paid them for the land after they were released. The late 19th century was a complicated time for all and Native American and White men alike were both guilty of exploitation. It would have been better if they had portrayed it accurately. Nothing in the book damages Montford Johnson's legacy. It seems that the Chickasaws did not want an inspiring story of a Chickasaw that prospered against the narrative of the day.
