Newberry Library - A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

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Open book A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

Title A trip to the gold regions of the Rocky Mountains in the summer of 1860 1860

Creator Young, John D. (John David), 1839-1898

Date 1860

Place Colorado, Great Plains, Illinois--Chicago, Overland Trails, Saint Joe Road

Language English

Subjects Frontier and pioneer life, Gold miners, Gold mines and mining, Indians of North America

Summary John D. Young's narrative of his 1860 round trip from Chicago to the Colorado gold fields and his experiences there, probably composed in Chicago after the trip. Contains full descriptions of encounters with frontier justice, friendly and hostile Indians (Potawatomi, Pawnee, Comanche, Arapahoe, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne), a Rocky Mountain forest fire, great buffalo herds, a "hurricane" at Marysville, and a prairie dog village. Also discussed in detail are rich Missouri farmlands poorly utilized under slavery, the Pony Express, towns and forts (Quincy, St. Joseph, Marysville, Fort Kearny, Denver, Tarryall), scenery and terrain, road conditions, diet, clothing, equipment, diggings (Tarryall, Blue River, California Gulch, etc.), methods of gold extraction, claim salting, etc.

Biographical/Historical Note Colorado gold rush participant and Ottawa, Ill., lumber merchant.

Extent 1 v. (120 p.) ; 32 cm

Format Sources, Manuscripts, Travel literature, Transcripts

User-Contributed Transcription swarmed around us sometimes striking against the wagon and almost overturning it I awoke several times in the night and amagined the wild herd was running over us. The next morning there seemed to be a general movement of the herd towards the south, they regularly immigrated north and south twice a year, going north as far as the Canada line and south as far as Mexico. We were now about twenty miles from the Platt River and had not seen a drop of water since leaving it there was a great drouth previously all over the country it was now forty days since we had left the mountains and it had not rained in all that time the grass was burned yellow and the ground parched up. Our horses suffered terribly this day being the second day without water We had a scanty supply for ourselves we drank of it sparingly as it was very warm and nauseating That gave out before night and we were parched and choking an August sun poured down on us fiercely and the prairie stretched on every side of us like a boundless ocean no prospects of quenching our thirst or finding shelter from the fierce rays of the sun. The buffalo dotted the prairie in straggling groups trying to follow the course of the herd, but overpowered by the heat they stopped helplessly on the prairie unable to go in quest of water. At length as we were journeying along towards sundown almost despairing of finding relief for that night we suddenly came to a pole sticking up at the side of the road, although we had never seen a like sign before we knew that it indicated water in the neighborhood Quickly we unharnessed our horses and started out in all directions looking for the water at length we found it at the bottom of a hill, but only a miserable mud hole the water green and slimy full of monstrous frogs that croaked ? as we approached them The side of the

Transcription Status Needs review

Transcription Note This document was transcribed by volunteers as part of the Newberry Transcribe crowdsourcing initiative.

Archival Collection Title Edward E. Ayer Manuscript Collection

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number VAULT Ayer MS 3210

BibID 991330378805867

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 2432px × 3808px 26.53 MB

File Created 08/21/2023

Filename 991330378805867_Ayer_MS_3210_00065.tif

Unique Identifier NL11LVR3

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