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To obtain a list of publications, contact: Oregon-California Trails Association FROM THE OLD NORTHWEST TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST The overland trail diaries written by brothers Patterson and Michael Luark during their journey from Illinois and Indiana to Oregon Territory in 1853 are presented in parallel format with extensive footnotes. The diaries are arranged in four parts with a general introduction and introductions to each part. Eleven contributors added to the editors' annotations to provide extensive background on trail routes, biography, health and medicine, and social history. The brothers' diaries complement each other well, and together they portray a full and rich description of their journey. Patterson traveled with his family, while Michael's remained in Indiana, adding the dimension of family to their narratives. Of particular interest to both trails enthusiasts and scholars, the brothers traveled some unusual routes, encountered special trail conditions, and described two significant emigrant registers kept that year. The 1854 Oregon Trail Diary of Winfield Scott Ebey Twenty-two-year-old Winfield Scott Ebey traveled from Adair County, Missouri to Whidbey Island, Washington Territory, with his parents and other family members in 1854. Ebey was gregarious, and observant and his detailed, lengthy diary offers a delightful and informative portrayal of the journey. In 1857 he rewrote his travel diary, adding clarifications, additional information, and literary passages. This rewritten diary is presented in its entirety, with insertions from his original diary. Ebey's diary is particularly important for his unequaled descriptions of the Jeffrey Cutoff in Idaho and the Naches Pass Trail in Washington; his meeting significant westerners Richard and Johnny Grant , John Jeffrey, and Ezra Meeker; and his witnessing the aftermath of the Ward Train Massacre near Fort Boise. The 1849 California Trail Diaries of Elijah Preston Howell Elijah Preston Howell traveled from Gentry County, Missouri to the goldfields in California in the dramatic summer of 1849. His eloquent and descriptive gold rush diary has been superbly annotated and placed in historical context by recognized trail authorities. The publication of Howell's diary initiates the Emigrant Trails Historical Studies Series, a series designed to promote the historic trails preservation activities of the Oregon-California Trails Association through the publication of significant emigrant primary source documents and studies. GRAVES AND SITES ON THE OREGON AND CALIFORNIA TRAILS This popular OCTA publication describes the markers at graves and sites on the Oregon and California Trails that have been installed by OCTA's Graves and Sites Committee and OCTA chapters. The second edition is greatly expanded, representing the numerous markers installed by OCTA since the publication of the first edition in 1991. The book is arranged by the state in the sequence of markers from east to west. READING, WRITING , AND RIDING ALONG THE OREGON-CALIFORNIA TRAIL This 64 page activity book is focused around the experiences of early emigrants and is written for middle school students and their teachers. Activities include maps and map work, word searches, identification, making charts and graphs, crossword puzzles, classifications and reading comprehension. Answer section at back of book. The Overland Memoir of Charles Frederick True When he was in his seventies, Charles Frederick True wrote this memoir of his 1859 trip over the California Trail at the age of sixteen. It was edited and published by his granddaughter Sally Ralston True in 1966 entitled Covered Wagon Pioneers. This book is a reprint, with revised preface and maps, of this engaging and informative account of the overland emigrant experience through the eyes of a teenager. |
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