Westward Ho!

Getting there:

BY Land:

Horn's Overland Guide, 1852 - The book many pioneers bought so they would know the right way to go to California. Includes excellent maps. "Showing all the rivers, creeks, springs, mountains, hills and camping places."

The Prairie Traveler: A Handbook for Overland Expeditions - an early travel guide book.

Pioneers: what they took on the trail, how they traveled, what they ate, etc.

List of Supplies - needed to take on trip west.

Places: clickable maps of states, trails, towns. Decided where you want to go and it will show the map.

The Gold Rush Diary of George Bonniwell- Translation of an 1850 California Trail diary, a travelogue from years gone by. Great detail about weather and sights along the way. Describes his brother falling off a horse while chasing buffalo and being "near dear".

diary on the trail - Detailed account of hardship traveling in covered wagons -death, sickness, captivity.

Jumping Off - the start of the Oregon Trail, getting supplies, packing the wagons.

Map of the Oregon Trail with stops along the way.

By Sea:

journal written on board a ship to the gold fields

An account of traveling by ship to goldfields

on board ship -comments about fellow travelers, and travel. go to Sept 26 1849 when he gets to the goldfields.

Diary of a 12 year old Girl - Father suddenly sells everthing to go to the goldrush, Father dies, baby sister dies and is buried, the supplies of food run out,

Chinese

Chinese travel to the U.S.

Chinese work on railroad

Chinese in goldrush

other jobs Chinese did

Chinese Contribution to the railroad

Cowboys

Cowboys - herd cattle

cowboys life - roughness, crudeness

Hunters & Mountain Men -

hunt buffalo

The end of the buffalo

The Ways of the Mountain Men

The Fur Trade

Farming

farming loneliness

excerpts from letters from Nebraska - hardships, collecting eggs, dying in childbirth

Goldminers

from diary "16 months at the gold diggings"

Mining is hard work - more panning for gold, making a cradle

hardships of mining - missing family, cold feet, poor food.

Railroad Workers

Working conditions on the railroad

Central Pacific Railorad Museum - Read the account to the left of the picture. Very descriptive of how the rails were laid.

The Iron Road - conditions

Daily Life - laying the rails

Donners

The Donner Party

Short description of the Donner Party Tragedy

African American Pioneer

Alvin Coffey; African American Pioneer - an account of his travels from St. Louis to California