Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-343) and index.
Introduction : the border lord -- The scholars' hard road -- A gathering at Lake Mendota -- Gone to Texas -- Many roads to California -- In Stephen's grove -- Foundations of empire -- Teachers and students- worlds apart -- Of presidents and politics -- Race, place, and heroes -- Exploration, empire, and patrimony -- The grand patriarch -- bury my heart at Corte Madera -- Western revolt and retirement -- Defending the empire -- The fading pageant -- The emperor departs -- Afterword : the debatable legacy -- Abbreviations used in the notes