|
The
California Trail, Yesterday and Today |
||||
 |
 |
Paper,
6x9, 234 pages, 179 ill., 7 maps, bibliography, index Price: $14.95. ISBN #0-9634839-2-7 |
||
|
This is the book that will introduce you to the California Trail,
and then will take you along it and its major variants crossing the
deserts and the mountains into California. Whether it was for land, a new life, or gold, California was like
a magnet that drew people to it. Many came by land and many by sea.
The first section discusses these two methods. The next section
describes the trail's historical development. Then, a variety of old
maps are shown, including Sherman's site of Sutter's mill, Bruff's
map of the Lassen route, and the T.H. Jefferson maps of the whole
route. Guidebooks and three diaries take you day by day from the
Humboldt, across the deserts, and over the Sierra Nevada. For the best view of the trail one must examine it as it was seen
by the emigrants, and see it as it looks today. That is exactly what
the "yesterday and today" section does. The works of a
variety of emigrants/artists are included. James Wilkins, J.
Goldsborough Bruff, and William H. Jackson's paintings, sketches and
photos are featured, but many others are also included. The last sections examine the major museums and displays along
the trail and offer suggested readings for further learning
|
|
Reviews "..Hill
has hit the mark almost dead center. He has provided a potpourri of
information on the California Trail…will provide anyone interested in the
great migrations with hours of undiluted pleasure….belongs in the holdings
of all who would retrace in imagination the road west." "..A treasure trove of sketches by trail travelers, early photographs of places and people and recent photographs of places depicted by the artist travelers… the numerous sketches made by James Wilkins in 1849 are a unique collection." Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly "..A book like this has not been written before…it is designed to give "the feel of the route." 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." Nevada County Historical Society "..Hill's book surprises us that man and time have not eroded the footsteps of the emigrants, nor the natural wonders they observed." The Western Historical Quarterly "..Hill's book is about these landlubber Argonauts and their incredible two thousand mile journey…(It) is designed for the casual reader who may be content with a bird's-eye view, with samplings from the rich source materials….Of exceptional interest are the selected maps and the illustrations of three rare and gifted trail artists." Merrill J. Mattes, author of The Great Platte River Road
|