Volume 041-1 - January 1987 (10 pages)

— life of a mining engineer in the old days. The book is not in the trade. It can be consulted at the reference library of the Empire Mine State Park. William E. Hill, The California Trail, Yesterday and Today. Pruett Publishing Company; Boulder, Colorado; 1986. Generally speaking, the trail which carried the emigrants of the eighteen forties, fifties and sixties had two destinations, Oregon and California. The same trail was used up to a number of miles beyond Fort Hall; from there the road forked, one fork leading to Oregon and the other one leading to California. The Oregon part of the trail is slightly older than the California part, therefore the entire Overland Trail is often called the Oregon Trail. It appears that more attention has been paid by historians to the Oregon part of the Trail. It is therefore fortunate to find that a new book has been devoted to the California Trail. . As already stated, the two trails had a large portion of the overland route in common, and this is, of course, reflected in the subject matter of the book. Hence, those interested in the route to Oregon will find here much information of interest also. Although this book contains much history, 7~™\s not really a history of the trail. In fact, . book like this one has not been written before. We might say it is designed to give “the feel of the route’. The more strictly historical part of the book is in the foreword, which compares sea travel to California with land travel and in a section “early history of the California trail” which presents an almost year by year (up to 1860) account of trail related information. After this historical information, the remainder of the book is devoted to, what we might call a selection of historical sources. First of these is a map section, of which the most important is the Jefferson map, all four sheets. This map is quite uncommon, it was reissued by the California Historical Society and also in C. Wheat’s Mapping the Transmississippi West. The latter, as the one under consideration, is reduced; it is hard to read the text on the map. The CHS facsimile reprint is very hard to find. There follows a section on guide books, with reproductions of pages of two of them. They are: [.J. Willis, Best Guide to the Gold Mines (1848 7) and Horn’s Overland Guide (1852). One of the most important groups of urces on the history of the Overland Trail é the diaries. Hill publishes selections of three of them, Wilkins (1849), Bryarly (1849) and Ingalls (1850). All these excerpts concern the stretch from the Humboldt Sink across the Forty Mile Desert. Unfortunately, none of the excerpts mentions how the Sierra Nevada was conquered. The author has selected well written diaries with interesting narratives. The last section of the book, “Artists”, which takes about two thirds of the pages of the book, consists of a collection of 214 (if I counted right) pictures, covering the trail from Independence, Missouri, to Sutter’s Fort. About half of these pictures are contemporary; most of them are by one of these artists: J.F. Wilkins (1849), W.H. Jackson (1866) and J. Goldsborough Bruff (1849). The other half of the pictures are modern; they are pictures of the same features as the above mentioned set, taken, where possible, from the same vantage point. It is remarkable how little many of the landmarks have changed in more than a century. In one respect, this book is disappointing. The title would lead us to expect that the emphasis would be on the California leg of the Overland Trail, especially, since this traject has received much less attention than the Oregon leg. The most difficult of the California leg, the crossing of the Sierra Nevada, is hardly mentioned. The picture section also has hardly anything beyond Fort Hall, but here it must be considered that areas, such as the Forty Mile Desert, hardly have geographical features worth recording. On the other hand, considering the trail as a whole, the book has much to commend. The historical section gives us a review of the main happenings on the trail, attention is drawn to the Jefferson map, and the diary section may entice to read the entire diaries or other diaries which are not mentioned. But the main attraction of the book is the picture section. I am not aware that a similar collection of pictures of the trail has ever been published. Most published diaries are scarcely, if at all, illustrated and hence Mr. Hill’s book should be at hand while reading them. The California Trail will, we hope, lead many to a further study of the trail, especially the California section. The picture section alone renders the book indispensable for anybody who studies the trail as a whole. Western writers of America, Pioneer Trails West. Caxton Printers; Caldwell, Idaho; 1985. It is well recognized that there are significant differences between mankind and the larger mammals. For example, Homo sapiens is credited with the ability to construct tools and the ability to communicate by the use of language. It is not always recognized that, from the earliest days, Homo sapiens was also a great traveler. Remains of early man are found in Africa, Europe, Asia, as far as the island of Java in Indonesia. None of the larger mammals has such an enormous range. As a result of this urge to travel, trails, used centuries ago are still found in many parts of the world. This is also true for the North American continent. Pioneer Trails West contains a discussion of nineteen of them, each contributed by an expert on the history of a specific one. All these authors are members of the Western Writers of America. The title of the book is somewhat misleading; some of the trails which are described run south-north rather than east-west. Perhaps the most interesting of these essays is the one by Don Worchester, who also is the editor of the collection. In Indian and Buffalo Trails he tells us that many trails in the east and mid-west were originally made by buffalos. As a ranging animal, the buffalo moved around a lot and liked low grades, easy passes through the mountains and safe river crossings. Indian trails often did not follow the buffalo trails. Both were used extensively by the early trappers and travelers of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. We, in California, of course, are most interested in El Camino Real and in the Oregon ‘ (California) Trail. The discussion of El Camino Real is mainly historical; it describes the road as a link between the several missions, founded by the Jesuit and later the Franciscan padres and covers the entire length, from Cabo San Lucas in Baja California up to Sonoma. The discussion of the Camino in Baja California is of special interest, being less well known in American California. The original trail, established mainly in the eighteenth century has become a paved highway, U.S. {01, in the United States, in the twentieth century. But that it is now possible to drive from Sonoma to Cabo San Lucas (at the tip of Baja California, some 1400 miles) in three days, I doubt. It appears that there was another Camino Real, this one running from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The author who discusses this road states that all major highways in colonial Mexico were referred to as El Camino Real, the King’s highway. Unlike the California Camino, which served the missions, the more eastern one originally served the mining camps of Zacatecas and Durango and later became a trade route. In the early nineteenth century, the Camino linked with the Santa Fe trail, which trail originated in Independence, Missouri (discussed also in this book), thus connecting the Mid West to Mexico City. The northern part of the Camino was the stage for the military operations of the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War and even the Civil War. With the peace treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo, the northern part of the Camino became American territory.

— life of a mining engineer in the old days. The book is not in the trade. It can be consulted at the reference library of the Empire Mine State Park. William E. Hill, The California Trail, Yesterday and Today. Pruett Publishing Company; Boulder, Colorado; 1986. Generally speaking, the trail which carried the emigrants of the eighteen forties, fifties and sixties had two destinations, Oregon and California. The same trail was used up to a number of miles beyond Fort Hall; from there the road forked, one fork leading to Oregon and the other one leading to California. The Oregon part of the trail is slightly older than the California part, therefore the entire Overland Trail is often called the Oregon Trail. It appears that more attention has been paid by historians to the Oregon part of the Trail. It is therefore fortunate to find that a new book has been devoted to the California Trail. . As already stated, the two trails had a large portion of the overland route in common, and this is, of course, reflected in the subject matter of the book. Hence, those interested in the route to Oregon will find here much information of interest also. Although this book contains much history, 7~™\s not really a history of the trail. In fact, . book like this one has not been written before. We might say it is designed to give “the feel of the route’. The more strictly historical part of the book is in the foreword, which compares sea travel to California with land travel and in a section “early history of the California trail” which presents an almost year by year (up to 1860) account of trail related information. After this historical information, the remainder of the book is devoted to, what we might call a selection of historical sources. First of these is a map section, of which the most important is the Jefferson map, all four sheets. This map is quite uncommon, it was reissued by the California Historical Society and also in C. Wheat’s Mapping the Transmississippi West. The latter, as the one under consideration, is reduced; it is hard to read the text on the map. The CHS facsimile reprint is very hard to find. There follows a section on guide books, with reproductions of pages of two of them. They are: [.J. Willis, Best Guide to the Gold Mines (1848 7) and Horn’s Overland Guide (1852). One of the most important groups of urces on the history of the Overland Trail é the diaries. Hill publishes selections of three of them, Wilkins (1849), Bryarly (1849) and Ingalls (1850). All these excerpts concern the stretch from the Humboldt Sink across the Forty Mile Desert. Unfortunately, none of the excerpts mentions how the Sierra Nevada was conquered. The author has selected well written diaries with interesting narratives. The last section of the book, “Artists”, which takes about two thirds of the pages of the book, consists of a collection of 214 (if I counted right) pictures, covering the trail from Independence, Missouri, to Sutter’s Fort. About half of these pictures are contemporary; most of them are by one of these artists: J.F. Wilkins (1849), W.H. Jackson (1866) and J. Goldsborough Bruff (1849). The other half of the pictures are modern; they are pictures of the same features as the above mentioned set, taken, where possible, from the same vantage point. It is remarkable how little many of the landmarks have changed in more than a century. In one respect, this book is disappointing. The title would lead us to expect that the emphasis would be on the California leg of the Overland Trail, especially, since this traject has received much less attention than the Oregon leg. The most difficult of the California leg, the crossing of the Sierra Nevada, is hardly mentioned. The picture section also has hardly anything beyond Fort Hall, but

here it must be considered that areas, such as the Forty Mile Desert, hardly have geographical features worth recording. On the other hand, considering the trail as a whole, the book has much to commend. The historical section gives us a review of the main happenings on the trail, attention is drawn to the Jefferson map, and the diary section may entice to read the entire diaries or other diaries which are not mentioned. But the main attraction of the book is the picture section. I am not aware that a similar collection of pictures of the trail has ever been published. Most published diaries are scarcely, if at all, illustrated and hence Mr. Hill’s book should be at hand while reading them. The California Trail will, we hope, lead many to a further study of the trail, especially the California section. The picture section alone renders the book indispensable for anybody who studies the trail as a whole. Western writers of America, Pioneer Trails West. Caxton Printers; Caldwell, Idaho; 1985. It is well recognized that there are significant differences between mankind and the larger mammals. For example, Homo sapiens is credited with the ability to construct tools and the ability to communicate by the use of language. It is not always recognized that, from the earliest days, Homo sapiens was also a great traveler. Remains of early man are found in Africa, Europe, Asia, as far as the island of Java in Indonesia. None of the larger mammals has such an enormous range. As a result of this urge to travel, trails, used centuries ago are still found in many parts of the world. This is also true for the North American continent. Pioneer Trails West contains a discussion of nineteen of them, each contributed by an expert on the history of a specific one. All these authors are members of the Western Writers of America. The title of the book is somewhat misleading; some of the trails which are described run south-north rather than east-west. Perhaps the most interesting of these essays is the one by Don Worchester, who also is the editor of the collection. In Indian and Buffalo Trails he tells us that many trails in the east and mid-west were originally made by buffalos. As a ranging animal, the buffalo moved around a lot and liked low grades, easy passes through the mountains and safe river crossings. Indian trails often did not follow the buffalo trails. Both were used extensively by the early trappers and travelers of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. We, in California, of course, are most interested in El Camino Real and in the Oregon ‘ (California) Trail. The discussion of El Camino Real is mainly historical; it describes the road as a link between the several missions, founded by the Jesuit and later the Franciscan padres and covers the entire length, from Cabo San Lucas in Baja California up to Sonoma. The discussion of the Camino in Baja California is of special interest, being less well known in American California. The original trail, established mainly in the eighteenth century has become a paved highway, U.S. {01, in the United States, in the twentieth century. But that it is now possible to drive from Sonoma to Cabo San Lucas (at the tip of Baja California, some 1400 miles) in three days, I doubt. It appears that there was another Camino Real, this one running from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The author who discusses this road states that all major highways in colonial Mexico were referred to as El Camino Real, the King’s highway. Unlike the California Camino, which served the missions, the more eastern one originally served the mining camps of Zacatecas and Durango and later became a trade route. In the early nineteenth century, the Camino linked with the Santa Fe trail, which trail originated in Independence, Missouri (discussed also in this book), thus connecting the Mid West to Mexico City. The northern part of the Camino was the stage for the military operations of the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War and even the Civil War. With the peace treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo, the northern part of the Camino became American territory.