Emigrants on the Overland Trail : the wagon trains of 1848 / Michael E. LaSalle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

LaSalle, Michael E., 1945-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pioneers--West (U.S.)--Diaries.

Pioneers.

Pioneers--West (U.S.)--Biography.

Overland journeys to the Pacific.

Frontier and pioneer life--West (U.S.)--History--Sources.

Frontier and pioneer life.

Overland Trails--Description and travel.

Overland Trails.

West (U.S.)--Description and travel.

West (U.S.).

Overland Trails--History--Sources.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (537 p.)

Place of Publication:

Kirksville, Mo. : Truman State University Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Presenting the lost year of the overland emigrants in 1848, this volume sheds light on the journey of the men, women, children, and the wagon trains that made the challenging trek from Missouri to Oregon and California. These primary sources written by seven men and women diarists from different wagon companies, tell how settlers endured the tribulations of a five-month westward journey covering 2,000 miles. These intrepid souls include a young mother, a French priest, a college-educated teacher, and an ox driver. Subjected to the extremes of fear, failure, suffering, and hope, they persevered and finally triumphed.

Contents:

Just five months to get there

St. Joseph: a rising star

Load the wagons

The talk before the walk

A vast green sea

Indian troubles

Independence: a star in decline

Through the tallgrass prairie

Black beasts, black faces

Come, come ye saints

The Babylon of the West

The sweetness of the sweetwater

Les mauvaises terres

The great trail forked

Snaking through vulcan's workshop

Glory, hallelujah, I shall die a rich man yet!

The heavenly scent of Oregon pine

Time to pay the gatekeeper

The end of the journey

Epilogue.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 469-492) and index.

ISBN:

1-61248-021-7

OCLC:

787846233