by C. W. Smith, by R. W. Vail Purchase Found in the litter of a storeroom was a small 4×6 notebook bound in leather. The notebook contained pressed flowers, plants, and the story of C. W. Smith’s journey to California. C. W. Smith’s father, William Smith, came to the United States from England in 1831… Continue reading Journal of a Trip to California: Across the Continent from Weston, Mo., to Weber Creek, Cal., in the Summer of 1850
Tag: west
Vanished Arizona: Recollections of My Army Life
by Martha Summerhayes Purchase Born on October 21, 1844, Martha Summerhayes was raised in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She enjoyed two years abroad in Germany where she studied literature. She returned to the United States, and ultimately married a Civil War veteran, John Wyer Summerhayes, who was still actively serving in the US Army. Vanished Arizona is… Continue reading Vanished Arizona: Recollections of My Army Life
The Pacific Typographical Society and the California Gold Rush of 1849
by Douglas C. McMurtrie Purchase through Amazon The California Gold Rush really was a bonanza for more than miners. Between 1849 and 1855 more than $400 million dollars was gathered by the miners; once adjusted, it is a sum today reaching into the trillions. But those who provided for the miners shared and in some… Continue reading The Pacific Typographical Society and the California Gold Rush of 1849
Narrative of Samuel Hancock: Adventure, Escape, and Massacre During the California Gold Rush
by Samuel Hancock, Introduction by Arthur D. Howden Smith Purchase through Amazon This work is an unusual autobiography, chronicling the experiences of Samuel Hancock between 1845-60. It details his journey to Oregon, his frustrating attempts to mine for gold in California, and his dramatic time as a captive under Native Americans. Hancock would go on… Continue reading Narrative of Samuel Hancock: Adventure, Escape, and Massacre During the California Gold Rush
Illustrated Sketches of Death Valley: and Other Borax Deserts of the Pacific Coast
by John R. Spears Purchase through Amazon John R. Spears was born in 1850 in Van Wert, Ohio. Though an inveterate traveler, particularly out west, he ended up residing in Little Falls, New York. He wrote a great deal, particularly for the New York Sun, and his books include The Port of Missing Ships and… Continue reading Illustrated Sketches of Death Valley: and Other Borax Deserts of the Pacific Coast
The Old Spanish Missions of California: A Historical and Descriptive Sketch
by Paul Elder Purchase through Amazon There were twenty one Spanish missions in California, established between 1769 and 1833 by Catholic priests to spread Christianity. Paul Elder collected various snippets of California history and compiled it in this work with quotes from various primary sources and photographs of numerous missions across the state, which presents… Continue reading The Old Spanish Missions of California: A Historical and Descriptive Sketch
Frontier Law: A Story of Vigilante Days
by William J. Connell Purchase through Amazon Gold and blood, Indians and pioneers, criminals and vigilantes! These are terms that have captivated the imagination of America for generations. Nevertheless, authentic, first-hand accounts of the vigilantes have been few indeed. The reason is plain: no one who helped to dispense the rough and salutary justice of… Continue reading Frontier Law: A Story of Vigilante Days
Old Chinatown: Turn of the Century Photographs of San Francisco’s Chinatown
by Arnold Genthe and Will Irwin Purchase through Amazon This volume is one of a number of Westphalia titles significant in the story of the not always happy and often controversial Chinese contact with Western society. In the American case, despite appreciation by scholars for Chinese civilization, cries against Chinese immigration began in response to… Continue reading Old Chinatown: Turn of the Century Photographs of San Francisco’s Chinatown
Songs of a Sourdough
by Robert W. Service Purchase through Amazon Robert Service was born in 1874 and grew up in Scotland as the oldest of 10 siblings. Even as a child he craved excitement, but his energy was channeled into the quiet life of a bank clerk. He did enroll in the English Language and Literature program at… Continue reading Songs of a Sourdough
California Chinese Chatter
by Albert Dressler Purchase through Amazon by Albert DresslerCalifornia Chinese Chatter contains telegrams sent in 1874 between Chinese citizens living in Downieville, California, and a court transcript of the murder trial of Ah Jake. It offers a unique view of the difficulties that Chinese immigrants had in the United States, particularly in the midst… Continue reading California Chinese Chatter
History of the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1851
by Mary Floyd Williams Ph.D. Purchase through Amazon Mary Floyd Williams gives a detailed account of the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance formed in 1851 (it was later reincarnated in 1856. Although the Committee, formed by a group of vigilantes, lasted only about three months, they were responsible for the hanging of at least eight… Continue reading History of the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1851
Gold Days: California During the Eventful Days of ’49
by Owen Cochran Coy Purchase on Amazon The California Gold Rush really was a bonanza. Between 1849 and 1855 more than $400 million dollars was gathered by the miners; once adjusted, it is a sum today reaching into the trillions. It was a social phenomenon marked by the carnivalesque. In Mark Twain’s Roughing It (1872),… Continue reading Gold Days: California During the Eventful Days of ’49
Seventy Five Years in California: A History of Events and Life in California During the 1800s
by William Heath Davis Purchase through Amazon Seventy-Five Years in California spans the 19th century, offering William Heath Davis’ view of California’s Pastoral Period. He gives readers a unique look at the disintegration of missions, the rise of the rancheros, the American Invasion, the Gold Rush and the adoption of the territory as a state.… Continue reading Seventy Five Years in California: A History of Events and Life in California During the 1800s
Vigilante Days and Ways: The Pioneers of the Rockies
by Nathaniel Pitt Langford Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace Vigilante Days and Ways examines the difficulty of living in the region that would become Montana and Idaho during the mid-1800s. The work highlights the bloody history of the area by focusing on robbers and other criminals who would lie in wait along the… Continue reading Vigilante Days and Ways: The Pioneers of the Rockies
The First Forty-Niner and the Story of the Golden Tea-Caddy
by James A. B. Scherer Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace Samuel Brannan lived across the span of the nineteenth century in the United States. He is believed to have been the first millionaire created by the Gold Rush. Among other things, Brannan is also noted for founding the California Star newspaper, relocating with other… Continue reading The First Forty-Niner and the Story of the Golden Tea-Caddy
Captain Bayley’s Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California
by G. A. Henty Purchase through Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace George Alfred Henty (1832-1902) was born at Trumpington near Cambridge and attended Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge University. He became a war correspondent and covered the Austro-Italian War, the 1868 British invasion of Ethiopia, the Franco-Prussian War, the Ashanti Wars, the Turco-Serbian War and… Continue reading Captain Bayley’s Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California
Indian and Scout: A Tale of the Gold Rush to California
By F. S. Brereton, Illustrated by Cyrus Cuneo Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Frederick Sadleir Brereton (1852-1957) was a prolific author of children’s books, writing over forty tales of heroism. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I. Brereton wrote a variety of stories, such as With Rifle and Bayonet:… Continue reading Indian and Scout: A Tale of the Gold Rush to California
The Log of a Forty-Niner
by Carolyn Hale Russ Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace Carolyn Hale Russ uses the diary and personal accounts of her father, Richard L. Hale, to discuss California exploration by settlers from 1849 to 1854. Russ highlights the land and ship excursions her father undertook in order to find adventure and gold. The Log of… Continue reading The Log of a Forty-Niner
The Young Vigilantes: A Story of California Life in the 1850s
by Samuel Adams Drake Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace The California Gold Rush really was a bonanza. Between 1849 and 1855 more than $400 million dollars was gathered by the miners; once adjusted, it is a sum today reaching into the trillions. It was a social phenomenon marked by the carnivalesque. In his work… Continue reading The Young Vigilantes: A Story of California Life in the 1850s
Bohemian San Francisco: Its Restaurants and Their Most Famous Recipes
by Clarence E. Edwords Purchase on Amazon Clarence E. Edwords’ book is both a culinary history that remains a reference and a reminder of just how different San Francisco has always been, despite how we think it just recently became the capital of the unconventional. Anthony Ashbolt quotes the familiar view of its contemporary Bohemianism… Continue reading Bohemian San Francisco: Its Restaurants and Their Most Famous Recipes
Death Valley in ’49
by William Lewis Manly Purchase on Amazon | Purchase on CreateSpace The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mills in California in 1848 caused thousands to give up their homes in the eastern states and head West. To avoid the Sierra Mountains, which in winter could be deadly, a party led by William Lewis Manly (1820-1903) attempted… Continue reading Death Valley in ’49
Lariats and Lassos: Bernard S. Mason’s How to Spin a Rope
Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace By Bernard S. Mason No self-respecting cowboy would refer to a lasso. A rope was a rope. Roping was the activity and rope was the instrument. However, the magic that could be worked fascinated Americans, and the Wild West Show for a time rivaled the circus as exciting entertainment… Continue reading Lariats and Lassos: Bernard S. Mason’s How to Spin a Rope
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