This book was published at the time of the great western trek across America of the early pioneers. It was essentially the only real handbook available to help those people to deal with the problems they encountered on their travels, besides also giving them maps.
The first and finest handbook for travelers of the Old American West. First published in 1859, The Prairie Traveler was the indispensable book for looking to follow the American dream, pull up stakes, head into the wilderness of the frontier, and build a new life out West. With the official blessing of the US War Department, Randolph Marcy, a captain in the US Army, published The Prairie Traveler as the ultimate guide for these pioneers, covering everything from the best way to move wagons over hostile terrain and what to pack, to describing over thirty-four different trails to be taken and the dangers one may face on the way. Captain Marcy also passes on the knowledge he gained from local Indian tribes, from how to cook and wage war to their subtle tribal differences and customs. The Prairie Traveler stands as an important piece of early American literature, and as a fascinating presentation of the now-lost Wild West: its perils, its rewards, and ultimately, the achievements of those who worked hard to survive. Captain Marcy’s guide remains the essential guide for those who wish to discover the trials and tribulations of the early pioneers of America, and it is an indispensable addition to any historical collection. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
This was the indispensable handbook for American pioneers traveling west in the mid 19th century. Commissioned and published by the U.S. government and written in a straightforward and helpful voice by U.S. Army officer Randolph Barnes Marcy (1812-1887), it offers all the useful and necessary advice overland travelers to the far West needed to ensure a safe journey: the different routes to California and Oregon, how to pack a wagon for the journey, finding and purifying water, repairing broken wagons, weathering storms, how to handle saddle wounds, the best way to make a fire on the prairie, interacting with Indians, hints on the best methods of hunting, and much more. Complete with all the original maps and illustrations, this replica edition is a remarkable artifact of one of the most exciting and dangerous eras in American history.
Randolph Marcy wrote this guide for fellow travelers wanting to brave the wilderness of North America, at a time when the western reaches of the continent were barely settled. A captain in the U.S. military, Marcy wrote this guide partly to allay the many myths and fears of the Western frontier, and partly to offer guidance to the dangers which were actually manifest. The information within takes readers across two popular trails - northerly, ending in Oregon, and southerly, ending in Santa Fe. Written in 1859, this book is both a guidebook and an authentic history of the Wild West era. Various anecdotes are interspersed through the text - Marcy is careful to differentiate between friendly Indian tribes such as the Delawares and Shawnees, whom he admires. The Plains Indians however are considered to have hostile tendencies; Marcy instructs on how to sign, and gives a detailed account of how to safely sleep with a gun cocked and loaded. Much of the advice offered by Marcy remains very useful today for campers and wilderness explorers; camping in wet weather and improvising a fire in those conditions; finding clean water; dealing with snake bikes; and using red willow bark as a substitute for cigarettes; crossing a stream with or without a horse, and so on. Despite its age, this book is written in plain language, but has an eloquent and readable simplicity. The publisher is proud to include all of the original illustrations, many of which are crucial to Marcy's instructions. These many pictures for instance depict various items of collapsible camp furniture, which can be built, folded and carried along or attached to a pack.