Historical Inquiry –
The Overland Trail, 1840-1860
A few intrepid souls took off for California in 1841, before Gold discovery spawned one of the greatest mass migrations in history. Though California was still under Mexican rule at the time, those early visitors described a veritable paradise and a land offering vast opportunity . But it would be gold discovery that would change the face of California following the fateful January day in 1848, when James Marshall found nuggets of gold in the mill race he was building on the American River. Rumors about the find circulated for months, and when President Polk confirmed the fact during his State of the Union address in December, the whole world, seemingly, headed for California.
Though thousands came by sea, the following subject guide covers the overland experiencesalong a number of western trails: the Oregon, California, Mormon, Bozeman, Cherokee, Santa Fe, Fort Smith-Santa Fe, Gila, and Southern Trails. It would be the adventure (perhaps even misadventure) of a lifetime. The impact on the environment and wildlife cross country was enormous. The culture and lifestyle of Native peoples would be changed forever. Moreover, the men, women, and children who made the trip would discover hidden strengths as they walked and rode over challenging terrain for many thirsty miles; coped with dreary food or too little of it; buried comrades who suffered accidents or disease; discarded broken-down wagons and dealt with weakened animals. Wagon trains rarely stopped for long when a mother gave birth. They learned to hunt for their food, boil the creepy crawlies from their garments, and learned to cope with whatever weather came their way. And of course, they met and had dealings with American Indians along the way
All in all, it was the adventure of a lifetime, and the hundreds of diaries, reminiscences and continued studies have created a huge amount of material to work with. The Arizona Collection, ASU Libraries houses most of these materials, though some may be duplicated in the online catalog. Following, is a sampling of material available.
Maps
Maps give a super overview of the multitude ways that emigrants trod cross country. Search the ASU Map index for maps on individual Trails: California Trail; Oregon Trail; Fort Smith-Santa Fe Trail; Mormon Emigrant Trail; Arizona trails; Santa Fe Trail; Old Spanish Trail; Southern Trail; Gila Trail; Cherokee Trail; Butterfield Trail; and trails across Mexico, etc. The following map is a good example:
Overland Trails: Opening the American West . Base map from the National Park Service. Published by the Oregon-California Trails Association, 2005. CE EPH DM-318 ARIZ
Western Emigrant Trails Map, 1830-1870, by Bob Berry. Noble Science Library, map Collection, Noble Library 4051.P25 1991 and 1993.
In addition, books about, and diaries from the gold rush, will often have maps outlining the route taken by the writer. Be aware that some are better than others, so it is a good idea to make comparisons.
SEARCHING THE ASU ONLINE CATALOG
Following is a sampling of keywords and subjects leading to books, journals, and newspapers found in the ASU Online Catalog: OVERLAND JOURNEYS TO THE PACIFIC WEST(U.S) – HISTORY - 1848-1860; CALIFORNIA - GOLD DISCOVERIES; PIONEERS – WEST (U.S.) - DIARIES; SOUTHWEST, NEW – EXPLORING EXPEDTIONS; WOMEN PIONEERS – (WEST) BIOGRAPHY. In addition, search for the name of a particular trail, e.g., Santa Fe Trail.
DATABASES FROM THE LIBRARY HOMEPAGE
Access the “ Arizona and Southwestern Index” by clicking on Specialized Collections. The index will provide call numbers to pamphlets, photographs, small manuscripts, reports, and more. By clicking on “articles” from the Library homepage, search America History and Life lists bibliographic citations of reviews and dissertations.
Periodicals
Spanish Traces. Journal of the Old Spanish Trail Association. F787.S62 ARIZ Old Spanish Trail Association: www.oldspanishtrail.org
Wagon Tracks. Journal of the Santa Fe Trails Association , F786.W324x ARIZ Santa Fe Trail Association: www.santafetrail.org
Overland Journal, Journal of the Oregon-California Trails Association, F593.O93 ARIZ Oregon California Trails Association: www.octa-trails.org
General Books About the Overland Journey
- The Road to California: The Search for a Southern Overland Route, 1540-1848 , by Harlan Hague. F799.H16X
- The Prairie Traveler: A Handbook for Overland Expeditions. With Maps, Illustrations, and Itineraries of the Principal Routes Between the Mississippi and the Pacific, by Randolph Barnes Marcy. F593.M31
- The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-1860, by John D. Unruh, Jr. F593.U67
- The Commerce of the Prairies, by Josiah Gregg. F800.G844
- The Butterfield Overland Mail, 1857-1869, by Roscoe P. Conkling F593.C72, 2 volumes.
- The California Trail: An Epic with many Heroes, by George R. Stewart, F591.S83
- The Santa Fe Trail, by William E. Brown, F786.B865
- In Search of the Spanish Trail: Santa Fe to Los Angeles, 1829-1848, by C. Gregory Crampton, F787.C7
- The Great Trek, by Owen C. Coy, F593.C78
- Cherokee Trail Diaries, edited by Patricia K.A. and Jack Earl Fletcher, F593.F58
- Marcy & the Goldseekers: The Journal of Captain R. B. Marcy, with an Account of the Gold Rush Over the Southern Route, F593.F67
- Bound for Montana: Diaries from the Bozeman Trail , by Susan Badger Doyle, F594.B616
- Oregon Trail : An American Saga , by David Dary F597.D37
- Faith in Every Footstep: The Story of the Mormon Trai l, by William W. Slaughter, F593.S57
- Henry William Bigler: Soldier, Gold Miner, Missionary, Chronicler, 1815-1900 , by Guy Bishop, F593.B65 B7
- The World Rushed in: The California Gold Rush Experience , by J. S. Holliday, F865.H69
- Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush Decade , by Peter Blodgett, F865.B6523
Bibliographies
- The Trail West: A Bibliography – Index to Western American rails, 1841-1869 , by John M. Townley, F591.T64x ARIZ REF
- Platte River Road Narratives: A Descriptive Bibliography of Travel Over the Great Central Overland Route to Oregon, California, Utah, Colorado, Montana, and Other Western States and Territories, by Merrill J. Mattes, F591.M328x
- The California Gold Rush: A Descriptive Bibliography , by Gary G. Kurutz, F865,87x
- To California on the Southern Route, 1849: A History and Annotated Bibliography , by Patricia A. Etter, F786.E88
- Overland on the California Trail, 1846-1859: A Bibliography of Manuscript & Printed Travel Narratives, by Marlin L. Heckman, F593.H4x
- The Trail: A Bibliography of the Travelers on the Overland Trail to California, Oregon, Salt Lake City, and Montana During the Years1841- 1864, by Lannon W. Mintz, F592.M56x
Secondary Resources for Background Study
- Blacks in Gold Rush California, by Rudolph . Lapp, E185.C2 L36
- They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush , by Jo Ann Levy, F865.L67
- A Dictionary of the Old West , by Peter Watts, PE2970.W4 W3
- Medicine on the Santa Fe Trail , by Thomas Hall, R152.H35
- Law for the Elephant: Property and Social Behavior on the Overland Trail , by John Philip Reid, KF 366.R43x
- Policing the Elephant: Crime, Punishment, and Social Behavior on the Overland Trail , by John Philip Reid, HV9955.W4 R45
- In Tar and Paint and Stone: The Inscriptions at Independence Rock and Devil’s Gate , by Levida Hileman. F767.I38 H54
- Emigrant Names II , Oregon California Trails Association, CD-ROM set.
- Frontier Children , by Linda Peavey & Ursula Smith, F596.P38
- Growing up with the Country: Childhood on the Far Western Frontier, by Elliott West, HQ792.U5 W425
- Wagon Wheel Kitchens: Food on the Oregon Trail , by Jacqueline Williams, TX715.W714
- California Information File, 1840s-1986, contains 1.4 million citations to information in California periodicals, newspapers, 500 manuscript collections, selected books, vertical file collections, country histories, theses, government documents, biographical encyclopedias, and special biographical files, Microfiche 4x6 164290 ARIZ User guide, F861.T47x
- Mormon Battalion Trail Guide, E409.5 I72 U8x
- The Western Pursuit of the American Dream: Selections from the Collection of Kenneth W. Rendell , F596.W51255
- To the Golden Shore: America Goes to California, 1849, by Peter Browning, Letters and articles in newspapers, F865.T6
- “A Woman’s Work is Never Done, or the Dirt on Men and Their Laundry,” by Margaret F. Walker, in Overland Journal, CE EPH XRT-109 ARIZ
- “Women on the Overland Trails – A Historical Perspective,” by Sharon A. Brown, PhD, CE EPH XRT-109 ARIZ
- “Emigrant Aid on California Gold Rush Trails: Private Need and Public Enterprise,” by Blaine T. Lamb, CM MSM-698 ARIZ
Primary Resources – A Sampling
- Covered Wagon Women: Diaries & Letters from the Western Trails 1840-1890 , by Kenneth L. Holmes, 11 volumes, F591.C79
- “Diary of William P. Huff, Small Manuscript in the Arizona Collection, CM MSM-665
- “A Novel Sight: The 1860 Overland Adventure of Clara E. Downes. Masters’ Thesis (ASU) by Melody Miyamoto, LD179.15 2001 M593
- An American Odyssey: The Autobiography of a 19 th Century Scotsman, Robert Brownlee, Edited by Patricia A. Etter, E184.S3 B76
- Texas Argonauts: Isaac H. Duval and the California Gold Rush , edited by Richard H. Dillon, F865.D57 folio
- Santa Fe Trail to California, 1849-1852: The Journal of H. M. T. Powell. Edited by Douglas H. Watson, F593.P96
- The American West: Overland Journeys, 1841-1889. Reprints of diaries from the Bozeman Trail, Butterfield State, California Grail, Gila/Southern Trail, Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail, and Santa Fe Trail.Microfiche 4x6 16371 ARIZ
- The 1849 California Trail Diaries of Elijah Preston Howell , edited by Susan Badger Doyle and Donald E. Buck, F593.H85
- Heart of the Trail: The Stories of Eight Wagon Trail Women , by Mary Barmeyer O’Brien, F593.O27
- A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, by Daniel Tyler, E409.5 I72 T9
- Children’s Voices from the Trail: Narratives of the Platte River Road , by Rosemary Gudmundson Palmer, F596.P35
- On the Trail to the California Gold Rush , by Alonzo Delano, F593.D33
CD-ROM
Emigrant Names 1 & 2 [Electronic Resource], by Oregon-California Trails Association. Indeipendence, Mo, 2005. Disc 1: Surveys 1832-1850; Disc 2: Surveys, 1851-1899 CS65.O7 ARIZONA
Patricia A. Etter, M.L.S.
Curator, Labriola National American Indian Data Center
June 2006
Page last modified: August 16, 2007
