? the Muckleshoot, Yakama, Taidnapam, Nisqually, and Puyallup. Beginningwith Chapter 4, "Village Sites and Structure,"Smith revealswhat his informants knew about specificNative uses of the MRNP region. Because most use was related to limited termactivities such as hunting or vision quests, permanent villageswere essentially absent and substantial structures were also reportedlyfew (mostwere on the order of drying racks, or temporary sweat-lodges), the chapter is less than tenpages long. Chapter 5, "Economic and Other Uses," is the second heart of the book, a fifty-page treatment of the great variety of short-term activities thatwere historically carried out within today's MRNP's boundaries, domi nated by hunting (deer, elk,bear, some birds, and marmots), meat-smoking, and gathering all manner of seasonally-specific resources (mainly berries). But, importantly, other activities took people into themountain en vironment and even above treeline, including vision quests, trade voyages through various passes, and the collection of a wide variety of plants formedicines, basketry, and other purposes. A graphic in theconcluding chapter nicely summarizes late-summer resources by altitude, showing that as Natives went higher into themountains, theyencountered firstbear and huckleberries, thenmountain goats, and, finally, marmots. More detailed summaries would be useful, and I found myself sketching them in themargins as I read. One activity, interesting by omission, is quarrying. Although traces of stone quarrying activity were found in the MRNP in the late 1980s, such activity was notmentioned by Smith's informants. Smith's research led him to suggest thatmost activity took place "near ... huckleberryfieldsbetween 3,000 and 5,500 feet in elevation" (p. 149). In an update, the editors note that this prediction was ac curate; since the timeof the survey,nearly 100 prehistoric siteshave been documented in the specified areas. Chapter 6, "Trails, Travel, and Trade," is another brief summary of findings, this time focusingon Smith's repeated indications of the native use of certain passes in the MRNP area. Many of these passes are the same as those used by hikers today. In Chapter 7, "Conclusion," Smith nicely summarizes his findings, indicat ing thatall native groups nearMount Rainier claimed and used parts of the landscape that are now encompassed by the MRNP. In sum, Takhoma is a useful resource for professional and avocational researchers ? and should be on the bookshelf of anyMRNP researcher ? but is too technical for general reading. Ifa popular guide toNative uses of the MRNP area does not exist,Smith'sbook would be an excellent guide toproducing one. Cameron M. Smith Portland State University BYHISOWN HAND?THEMYSTERIOUS DEATHOF MERIWETHER LEWIS editedbyJohn D.W. Guice University ofOklahoma Press, Norman, 2006. Illustrations, photographs, tables, notes, bibliography, index. 199 pages. $24.95 cloth. Shortlyafterthe 1971publication ofmy A His tory of Missouri, 1673-1820,the Kansas City Stars Missouri historyeditor took strongexception to my simpledeclaration that:"A major debate has ragedover thecause ofGov.Meriwether Lewis's death,but thepreponderance of evidence seems to suggest suicide." In a lengthyfeature titled "Prof StirsUp Old Debate" he pronounced me guiltyof "lazy research at best" and wondered aloud how anyhistorian could be so cavalier in the treatmentof such a crucial issue.To hisway of thinking, murder was the only acceptable explanation for Lewis's tragic and untimely demise. Nearly fourdecades later,the circum stances surrounding Lewis's mysterious death on theNatchez Trace continue to evoke similar strongreactions fromproponents on both sides of the murder-suicide debate. Reviews 149 The persistence of the debate prompted historian JohnGuice to organize a session at the Southern Historical Association's 2003 meeting inHouston, Texas, to reassess the vo luminous body of scholarship on thisvolatile subject. That livelyand well-attended gather ing spawned this engaging book, which brings together the thoughts of JamesHolmberg, Jay Buckley, ElliottWest, Clay Jenkinson,and Guice. While they contain no dramatic new revelations, the thoughtful commentaries by this stellar cast of contributors offernew insights and illustrate the complexities of an issue that continues to bedevil followers of theLewis and Clark saga.AsWest notes in the foreword, the competing essays can also serve as a primer on how historians work and argue. Clay Jenkinson's well-crafted introduction sets the stage for thedebate that follows. Jim Holmberg takes the lead inpresenting the case for suicide.Given the absence...