Manuscripts
Esther Belle McMillan Hanna diary of overland journey from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Oregon
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George S. Mathews diary
Manuscripts
The diary, which covers two journeys taken by George S. Mathews, was written from notes he took along the way. The first journey is Mathews' trek from Waverly, Iowa, to Portland, Oregon, via the Oregon Trail in 1865, and the second is a voyage from Oregon to New York City via Panama in 1866. There is little personal detail in the overland portion of the diary; Mathews took note of facts such as weather conditions, number of people in the wagon train, campsites, mileage, and locations passed such as Fort Laramie and Fort Dalles. He also mentions several Indian tribes, such as the Winnebago, the Brule, and the Nez Perce, and their contact with the pioneers and the military (he briefly mentions the Battle of Horse Creek, June 1865). The voyage portion of the diary gives great detail regarding the conditions on the voyage and Mathews' experiences in San Francisco and Panama. After the voyage section, are more notes and mileage lists regarding Mathews' overland journey to Oregon. Also included is a cabinet card photograph of George S. Mathews
mssHM 63161-63162
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Mary Ann Storrs McCarty diary of an overland journey from Omaha to Carson City
Manuscripts
Portion of a diary kept by Mary Ann Storrs McCarty as she traveled overland from Nebraska to Nevada. The diary opens with the McCartys' departure from Omaha on May 6, traveling with a company that would eventually come under the leadership of J. Marvin. They forded the Loup Fork at Council Bluffs, and Mary Ann describes the difficulty of getting wagons and supplies over the various bluffs and hills they had to climb. While in Nebraska on May 14, Mary Ann observed "a very singular phenomenon" above the evening horizon, which first had the shape of a "rod" before taking on a "snaky appearance, [which] appeared to crawl up from the horizon...[and] lasted about half an hour." By the end of May they had reached Chimney Rock, and shortly after had the first of two broken wagons that had to be left behind, both ultimately replaced by "a Mormon...who was going after emigrants." Mary Ann writes of Pawnee Indians visiting the wagon camp, and although they were peaceful the emigrants were "all frightened" about their presence. In early June the party arrived at Fort Laramie and camped near La Bonte Creek and Deer Creek, usually close to outpost stations of soldiers. On June 12 the McCartys' were left behind when their wagon broke, and when P.V. went to look for the rest of the party Mary Ann stayed behind. It was dark and she wrote that "[there is] no person near me for miles...all around is hills and rocks. Where will the end be?" (June 12). Two days later they had rejoined the wagon train and camped near Devil's Gate, where Mary Ann described the scenery as "strangely, wildly beautiful." While camped near the Sweetwater River on June 18, Mary Ann wrote of her exasperation with her traveling companions, stating that "I am so very tired of the company, they are all so dreadfully profane...My heart years for quietude and the society of Christians." Mary Ann got her wish to be separated from the party when the McCartys' wagon was irreparably broken near the Sweetwater Station and they were left behind to find a new one. After being aided to the Green River Crossing, the McCartys joined a new emigrant train from Missouri. They passed through Echo Canyon and came within sight of Salt Lake City on July 1. Mary Ann described with some admiration the homes, agriculture, and irrigation systems of the Mormon homesteads she could see. She often walked on alone without the rest of the company, occasionally causing a panic when they thought she had been lost. By July 4 they reached Camp Floyd, and in mid-July crossed 23 miles of desert to the Nevada border. After passing the Diamond Station the McCartys left the wagon train to take a cut-off, which turned out to be a "terrible road." In Nevada they traveled through Clifton, along the Carson River, Fort Churchill, and Dayton before arriving in Carson City on August 12. Mary Ann's diary ends with an account of a fire that broke out shortly after their arrival. Also includes a typed transcript of the diary made by Mary Louise Warren, a letter to Mary Ann from Helen L. Taylor (1899), and photographs of P.V. McCarty and an unidentified daughter.
mssHM 79952-79956
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Journey of an overland trip from Missouri to California
Manuscripts
This volume is Gorgas' diary of his journey from St. Joseph, Missouri to Placerville, CA, and his return trip to New York via the Panama Canal as part of the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. Much of the early entries are concerned with weather conditions and landscape and route details. Gorgas and his party finally reach Placerville on July 26, the ninetieth day of their journey, and begin digging for gold outside Sacramento in August. On February 1, 1851, Gorgas boarded a ship, the Olive Branch, bound for New York by way of the Panama Canal, intending to return home to his much-missed family. He lands at Jamaica on April 1, and arrives at New York on April 8. Dated 1850, April 28 through 1851, April 8. Notes include price charts and signatures of people Gorgas may have met during his travels. Includes newspaper clipping with picture of Placerville, CA, circa 1850, and a four-page handwritten timeline of Gorgas' journey (not in his hand).
mssHM 651
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A. H. Cutting journal of a trip by overland route
Manuscripts
A. H. Cutting describes an overland journey from Fidelity, Illinois, to Sacramento, California, by way of the Oregon Trail. There is much description of the landscape and campsites, hunting, and searching for goods in towns. The wagon train stayed a few days in Nebraska, which Cutting describes as "much better than Iowa." They meet many other trains, both coming back and traveling to various places in the West, and hear of much trouble caused by the Indians. They stay at various ranches, and at one point, find an Indian campsite. While passing through Colorado in May, they met with members of another wagon train who warned them of harsh times in New Mexico. They pass many "stage stations" along the route, as well as mail stations guarded by soldiers. While staying at Fort Bridges in Utah, Cutting and his group heard of a recent skirmish during which three hundred Indians were killed. As the party progresses, they hear of much conflict with the Indians. Upon reaching Salt Lake City, the party meets Brigham Young, and visits a site where a Mormon temple is being constructed. Outside Salt Lake City, on June 19, the party is approached by a woman with a young child who asks to stow away with them to escape her drunken husband. She told them she would do whatever work was needed, and even dress in men's clothes as a disguise. The party agreed to take her, but she did not meet them at their appointed time, and they left without her. The journal is dated April 13 through July 27, 1863.
mssHM 652
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Peramus Green Ames diary of an overland journey
Manuscripts
This is the manuscript journal of Peramus Green Ames, kept during his travels from the Missouri River to California. He reaches California in August 1850, and soon begins mining for gold. He departs for home by ship on October 1, 1853. Includes several pages of financial figures and notes. Journal is dated May 6, 1850 through November 1, 1853.
mssHM 49912
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William Wesley Chapman diary of journey to California
Manuscripts
Collection consists of diaries and notebooks, correspondence, and legal and administrative records of the Chapman family from 1769 to 1936, especially William Wesley Chapman. Much of the material documents the family's history in Illinois in the mid-19th century. Several William Wesley Chapman items detail his travels to and from California on the overland Oregon Trail in 1849 and by sea from San Francisco via Nicaragua in 1850. Also present is an 1852 deed for land in Edwardsville, Illinois, with the secretarial signature of President Millard Fillmore.
HM 49263