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By
Jesse G. Petersen (editor)
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Bibliographic Detail
Publisher
Arthur H Clark
Publication date
March 23, 2012
Pages
328
Binding
Hardcover
Book category
Adult Non-Fiction
ISBN-13
9780870624070
ISBN-10
0870624075
Dimensions
1.25 by 6.75 by 10 in.
Weight
1.50 lbs.
Original list price
$34.95
Other format details
university press
Summaries and Reviews
Amazon.com description: Product Description:
Prior to 1859, overland travelers leaving Salt Lake City for California had but two alternatives. They could go north into Idaho, then turn southwest and follow the Humboldt River into northern California, or they could head south, following segments of the Old Spanish Trail, and enter southern California. Both routes were long and tortuous. In the summer of 1859, Captain James Simpson blazed a more direct trail by leading an expedition across the desert. Simpsonâs is the route the Pony Express and the Overland Stage adopted. But emigrants in covered wagons also traveled the Central Overland Trail, and this is the first book to collect their day-by-day accounts.
Based on ten years of research, West from Salt Lake includes excerpts from twenty-three emigrant diaries, many previously unpublished. Using Simpsonâs diary to trace his route, editor Jesse G. Petersen has located each campsite and shows which of Simpsonâs two alternative wagon roads the parties traveled. In addition to the annotated emigrant accounts, Petersen excerpts four documents by non-emigrants: two by soldiers and two by employees of the Pony Express and its predecessor.
The diaries are rich in anecdotes on the challenges of the overland crossing, especially through desert. One traveler provisioned her party with fresh food meant to last a month, only to find that the produce wilted in the arid heat and the âtub of fresh butter . . . was soon turned by the hot sun of the desert into liquid oil.â A major theme of the diaries is the continuing quest for water and forage grass for the travelers and their animals, but readers will also catch glimpses of Indians, soldiers, and miners. âOur men are all off prospecting,â writes one diarist, âhoping to discover a rich silver mine.â But having ânever [seen] a silver mine until a few days ago[,] they would not know a valuable piece of ore if they should find one.â
Trail enthusiasts and students of westering migration history will welcome this detailed view of the previously neglected Central Overland Trail.
Based on ten years of research, West from Salt Lake includes excerpts from twenty-three emigrant diaries, many previously unpublished. Using Simpsonâs diary to trace his route, editor Jesse G. Petersen has located each campsite and shows which of Simpsonâs two alternative wagon roads the parties traveled. In addition to the annotated emigrant accounts, Petersen excerpts four documents by non-emigrants: two by soldiers and two by employees of the Pony Express and its predecessor.
The diaries are rich in anecdotes on the challenges of the overland crossing, especially through desert. One traveler provisioned her party with fresh food meant to last a month, only to find that the produce wilted in the arid heat and the âtub of fresh butter . . . was soon turned by the hot sun of the desert into liquid oil.â A major theme of the diaries is the continuing quest for water and forage grass for the travelers and their animals, but readers will also catch glimpses of Indians, soldiers, and miners. âOur men are all off prospecting,â writes one diarist, âhoping to discover a rich silver mine.â But having ânever [seen] a silver mine until a few days ago[,] they would not know a valuable piece of ore if they should find one.â
Trail enthusiasts and students of westering migration history will welcome this detailed view of the previously neglected Central Overland Trail.
Editions
Hardcover
The price comparison is for this edition
from Arthur H Clark (March 23, 2012)
9780870624070 | details & prices | 328 pages | 6.75 × 10.00 × 1.25 in. | 1.50 lbs | List price $34.95
About: Prior to 1859, overland travelers leaving Salt Lake City for California had but two alternatives.
About: Prior to 1859, overland travelers leaving Salt Lake City for California had but two alternatives.
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