Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-324) and index.

"In 2012, a recovering addict named Don arrived in North Dakota with no money, no connections, and no job. Like many others, Don had heard that the Bakken Shale was being fracked, and within just twelve days, he'd landed a salary of over $100,000 hauling sand. North Dakota was experiencing a resurgence of population and wealth comparable to only one event in American history: the California Gold Rush. Through stories of men like Don--as well as down-on-their-luck businessmen, Ponzi-schemers, prostitutes, and reality-television hosts--Great American Outpost recounts the dramatic boom and bust of the largest oil rush in US history. As a writer for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Maya Rao spent more time in the Bakkens than any other reporter. By day, she worked at the local truck stop, hauled supplies, and explored frack sites with hard-worn truck drivers. By night, she dined with the Dakota elite: deceitful bankers, ex-strippers, drug lords, and a whole cast of characters hoping to get rich quick. Rao discovered that where there is oil, crime, greed, and sensationalism follow. The result is a fascinating microcosm of the United States in the twenty-first century that reads like a frontier novel of the Wild West"--,Provided by publisher.