In 1841 and 1842 small groups of emigrants tried to discover a
route to California passable by wagons. Without reliable maps or
guides, they pushed ahead, retreated, detoured, split up, and
regrouped, reaching their destination only at great cost of
property and life. But they had found a trail, or cleared one, and
by their mistakes had shown others how to take wagon trains across
half a continent.
By 1844 a great migration was in progress. Each successive party
learned from those who went before where to cross rivers and
mountains, when to rest, when to forge ahead, and how to find food
and water. Increased experience was translated into better wagon
designs, improved understanding of climate and terrain, and
better-supplied and -organized caravans.
George R. Stewart's "California Trail" describes the trail's
year-by-year changes as weather conditions, new exploration, and
the changing character of emigrants affected it. Successes and
disasters (like the Donner party's fate) are presented in nearly
personal detail. More than a history of the trail, this book tells
how to travel it, what it felt like, what was feared and hoped
for.
General
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