Book details
Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 / A Narrative of Early Emigrant Travel to California by the Ox-team Method
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Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 26858
- Title
- Crossing the Plains, Days of '57 / A Narrative of Early Emigrant Travel to California by the Ox-team Method
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
A vivid firsthand account of the 1857 emigrant journey to California via ox-team. This narrative captures the hardships of the plains, encounters with Native Americans, and the ultimate triumph of reaching the settlements, offering a nostalgic yet realistic look at pioneer life.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
Departing from the Missouri River on May 17, 1857, a mixed company of thirty-seven individuals, including families and infants, embarked on a perilous two-thousand-mile trek to Sonoma County, California. Led by Wm. Audley Maxwell, the party utilized eight light farm wagons, known as "prairie schooners," drawn by thirty yoke of oxen, supplemented by extra cattle and saddle animals. The journey began with crossing the Platte River and traversing vast, roadless prairies where wood was scarce and water was vital. The travelers faced extreme heat, dust storms, and the constant threat of Native American attacks, highlighted by the tense atmosphere near Fort Laramie and the tragic Holloway Massacre. The narrative details the daily routine of breaking camp, cooking over open fires, and managing the slow pace of oxen. A significant portion of the text describes the arduous crossing of the Humboldt Desert and the emotional release upon reaching the Truckee River. The party eventually ascended the Sierra Nevada mountains, enduring an earthquake near the Nevada-California border, before descending into mining camps and finally reaching the settlements of Healdsburg in September. The book concludes with the party unyoking their weary oxen after four months of continuous travel, celebrating the arrival in the promised land of California.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26858.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
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People
Authors
- Wm. Audley Maxwell
Classification
Categories
- History
- Travel