The document summarizes the key points of Anne Hyde's book "The Great Fear: Rumor and Print Culture on the Early Western Frontier, 1812-1860". It examines how rumors spread and the role of newspapers in three western communities between 1812-1860: St. Louis ca. 1812, Illinois in the early 1840s, and Denver in 1858-1860. The challenges of using small frontier newspapers as historical sources are also discussed. Images and maps from the time period are included to provide historical context.