Covering more than 200 years of history from pre-contact to the present, this textbook places religion at the center of the history of the American West, examining the relationship between religion and the region and their influence on one another.

• A comprehensive examination of the relationship between religion and the American West and their influence on each other over the course of more than 200 years
• Discusses diverse groups of people, places, and events that played an important historical role, from organized religion and easily recognized denominations to unorganized religion and cults
• Provides straightforward explanations of key religious and theological terms and concepts
• Weaves discussion of American Indian religion throughout the text and presents it in dialogue with other groups
• Enriches our understanding of American history by examining key factors outside of traditional political, economic, social, and cultural domains

Todd M. Kerstetter is Associate Professor of History at Texas Christian University. He teaches courses on the American West, American Indian history, and US environmental history. He is the author of God’s Country, Uncle Sam’s Land: Faith and Conflict in the American West (2006), which examines religious freedom in the American West by discussing relationships between the US government and Mormons, Lakota Ghost Dancers, and Branch Davidians. He has also published in scholarly journals on water issues and images of the American West in rock music.