{"product_id":"the-great-medicine-road-part-3-24-narratives-of-the-oregon-california-and-mormon-trails-1850-1855-9780870624353","title":"The Great Medicine Road, Part 3, 24: Narratives of the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails, 1850-1855","description":"In the years after the discovery of gold in California, thousands of fortune seekers made their way west, joining the greatest mass migration in American history. The gold fields were only one destination, as emigrants pushed across the Great Plains, Great Basin, and Oregon Territory in unprecedented numbers, following the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails to the verdant Willamette Valley or Mormon settlements in the Salt Lake Valley. \"Seeing the Elephant\" they often called the journey, referring to the wondrous sights and endless adventures met along the way. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The firsthand accounts of those who made the trip between 1850 and 1855 that are collected in this third volume in a four-part series speak of wonders and adventures, but also of disaster and deprivation. Traversing the ever-changing landscape, these pioneers braved flooded rivers, endured cholera and hunger, and had encounters with Indians that were often friendly and sometimes troubled. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Rich in detail and diverse in the experiences they relate, these letters, diary excerpts, recollections, and reports capture the voices of women and men of all ages and circumstances, hailing from states far and wide, and heading west in hope and desperation. Their words allow us to see the grit and glory of the American West as it once appeared to those who witnessed its transformation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Michael L. Tate begins the volume with an introduction to this middle phase of the trails' history. A headnote and annotations for each document sketch the author's background and reasons for undertaking the trip and correct and clarify information in the original manuscript. The extensive bibliography identifies sources and suggests further reading. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTate, Michael L.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eMichael L. Tate\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and author of \u003ci\u003eThe Frontier Army in the Settlement of the West \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Indians and Emigrants: Encounters on the Overland Trail\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBagley, Will:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eWill Bagley\u003c\/b\u003e (1950-2021) was an independent historian who has written about overland emigration, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and the Mormons. Bagley has published extensively over the years and is the author and editor of many books, articles, and reviews in professional journals. Bagley is the series editor of Arthur H. Clark Company's documentary history series, \u003ci\u003eKINGDOM IN THE WEST: The Mormons and the American Frontier\u003c\/i\u003e. Bagley has been a Wallace Stegner Centennial Fellow at the University of Utah and the Archibald Hanna, Jr. Fellow in American History at Yale University's Beinecke Library. \u003ci\u003eBlood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows\u003c\/i\u003e has won numerous awards including a Spur Award from Western Writers of America, the Bancroft History Prize from the Denver Public Library, Westerners International Best Book, and the Western History Association Caughey Book Prize for the most distinguished book on the history of the American West. \u003ci\u003eSo Rugged and Mountainous: Blazing the Trails to Oregon and California, 1812-1848 \u003c\/i\u003eis the first of four volumes of \u003ci\u003eOverland West: The Story of the Oregon and California Trails Series. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRieck, Richard:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eRichard Rieck \u003c\/b\u003eis Professor Emeritus of Geography at Western Illinois University.","brand":"Arthur H. Clark Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50846272946450,"sku":"9780870624353","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_88aa2f9d-242c-4ebd-b638-e28dc0cf45fe.jpg?v=1737361639","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-great-medicine-road-part-3-24-narratives-of-the-oregon-california-and-mormon-trails-1850-1855-9780870624353","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}