Published in 1845, this guidebook for pioneers is a reproduction of one of the most collectible books about California and the Western movement. It was the guidebook used by the Donner Party on their fateful journey. In addition, because Hastings' shortcut route through the Rockies produced such tragedy, the War Department commissioned The Prairie Traveler.
First published in 1849, The Emigrant's Guide to California offers a valuable firsthand account of what it was like to travel to and settle in California during the time of the Gold Rush. Joseph E. Ware's guidebook provides detailed descriptions of the routes, weather, geography, food, and accommodations that emigrants could expect to encounter on their journey. This facsimile edition includes a new introduction and annotations by editor William Bright. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Lansford Warren Hastings’ The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California serves as a captivating window into mid-19th-century America. Published in 1845, this handbook beckons pioneers with vivid descriptions of the lush landscapes of California and Oregon. Hastings paints scenes of untamed beauty, enticing those seeking a fresh start in the rugged frontier. However, beneath the picturesque prose lies a hidden agenda: Hastings aspired to establish an independent Republic of California, positioning himself as its ruler. Despite his failed ambitions, this work remains essential reading for anyone intrigued by the forces that shaped the settling of the American West.
It has been over 150 years since pioneers first went west from Missouri, across Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Nevada into California, across the vast plains, formidable mountains, and desert. Although the route known as the California Emigrant Trail is mostly unmarked today, much evidence remains. Photographer Greg MacGregor has researched the trail and traveled it for thousands of miles. He has photographed the eroded ruts, emigrant graves, pieces of burned and abandoned wagons. He has also photographed what has sprung up over the trail: KOA campgrounds, golf courses, housing developments. The images are poignant, sometimes amusing, occasionally downright terrifying, and always fascinating in what they reveal about pioneer overland travel. Showing these photographs with excerpts from emigrants' diaries and advice from nineteenth-century guidebooks, Greg MacGregor presents us with a vivid and intimate picture of what the journey was like for those with no idea of what lay ahead. At the same time he captures the ironies in the landscape of the late-twentieth-century West.
Excerpt from The Emigrants' Guide to Oregon and California: Containing Scenes and Incidents of a Party of Oregon Emigrants, a Description of Oregon, Scenes and Incidents of a Party of California Emigrants, and a Description of California; With a Description of the Different Routes to Those Countries The company having left our unfortunate encampment, on Sweet-wa ter, early in the morning, soon passed Independence rock, which will be described, in the description of the routes. A Mr. Lovejoy and myself stopped at this rock, with a view of Spending a few hours, in examining its peculiar structure, as well as to observe the various names, there to be seen, of individuals who have passed that way; and at the same time, to inscribe our own names, with the number of our company, the date of our passing; and whatever else might occur to us, as being serviceable to those who might subsequently pass that way. Having provided ourselves with materials for lettering, we tied our horses at the foot of this extraor dinary rock, where we also left our guns, and commenced our toilsome assent up the rocky declivity. The company had, in the mean time, gone on, supposing that we would find nofldifficulty in overtaking them, whenever we had accomplished our purpose. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Examines the thrills and disappointments of the nineteenth-century rush for gold in California, during which people abandoned their jobs and homes and headed west in hopes of becoming rich.
