A history of the black people who participated in the development of the Western frontier in the United States, in such categories as the explorers, fur traders, early settlers, slaves, cowboys, and soldiers.

Black women were activists, farmers, true pioneers, army wives, gold hunters, mail order brides, black Indians, servants, and business owners in all areas of the West, from the early frontiers in Indiana and Ohio to later settlements in the Northwest, Southwest, and far North. From the slave Juliet to the eccentric Mary Fields, Katz cites their achievements and the difficult conditions they faced.

Brief biographies of people of mixed Native American and African ancestry who, despite barriers, made their mark on history, including trader Paul Cuffe, frontiersman Edward Rose, Seminole leader John Horse, and sculptress Edmonia Lewis.