Originally a series of articles published in a small town newspaper in 1895, this book contains the recollections of Shaw, a Bostonian who makes his way to California to find his fortune in gold. The book was edited and printed in 1966 with a long historical introduction and many footnotes by Quaife. It seems that Cole wrote of his adventures from memory nearly 50 years after they happened, and Quaife points out his many mistakes. That doesn't detract much from the author's descriptions of crossing the country on foot and horseback from Independence, MO, to Sacramento, CA. He was quite taken with the beauty as well as the harshness of the many different types of geography he encountered. His group met up with Native Americans a number of times, and his description of them are interesting. 174 pages.
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