Retired TCNJ professor publishes historical novel

David D. Smits, a retired Professor of History from The College of New Jersey, has just had his historical novel, Me Ramblins 'Cross the Wide Missouri, published. The book is the fictional memoir of a nineteenth-century Irish-American adventurer who rambled throughout America's Old West at a pivotal time in its history. The narrator, Michael Patrick Mcloughlin, became a mountain man, trekked the Santa Fe Trail, served as a wagoner in the Mexican War, prospected for gold in California (1850), and sojourned with several different Plains Indian tribes, among other escapades. He narrates his remarkable life-story in accordance with the historical record, in the authentic lingos of the participants, with a distinct sympathy for the underdogs and a delightful sense of humor.

Smits, the author of numerous scholarly articles on the history of America's westward movement and Indian-white relations, taught in the History Department at TCNJ for 38 years. In his retirement he has reinvented himself as an author of historical fiction. His book reveals an encyclopedic knowledge of our westward movement and the Native Americans it displaced. That knowledge is the product of his years of teaching and historical research as well as his summertime excursions and stays in the Far West. He and his family have camped in each of the states west of the Mississippi, not to mention Canada, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

During his years as a history teacher, his students often complimented him on his abilities as a "storyteller." That skill is certainly evident in his novel. Furthermore, his disposition to call attention to the plights of minority groups who were victimized by our westward expansion is a sharp departure from the conventional renditions of the story. His decision to narrate his tale in the lexicons of actual 19th-century westerners, from mountain men to "cowboys" gives his book the ring of authenticity and facilitates the reader's immersion in the saga.

Smits is a former Peace Corps Volunteer, who served in an Indian community in Guatemala (1963-65) with his wife and newborn daughter. He has won four National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Fellowships, has spent a summer doing research at the Buffalo Bill Historical Museum in Cody, Wyoming, and has lived with his family on the Navajo Reservation.

Smits's novel may be purchased on Amazon or as a Kindle Book.

Submitted by Patricia G. Smits

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.