Pioneer children on the journey West

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Last edited by MARC Bot
July 16, 2024 | History

Pioneer children on the journey West

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Between 1841 and 1865, some forty thousand children participated in the great overland journeys from the banks of the Missouri River to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. In this engaging book, Emmy Werner gives 120 of these young emigrants, ranging from ages four to seventeen, a chance to tell the stories of their journeys west.

Incorporating primary materials in the form of diaries, letters, journals, and reminiscences that are by turns humorous and heartrending, the author tells a timeless tale of human resilience. For six months or more, the young travelers traversed two thousand miles of uncharted prairies, deserts, and mountain ranges. Some became part of makeshift families; others adopted the task of keeping younger siblings alive.

They encountered strangers who risked their own lives for the youngsters and guides whose erroneous advice led to detours and desolation. The children endured excessive heat and cold and often suffered from cholera, dysentery, fever, and scurvy. They also faced thirst and starvation, cannibalism among famished members of their own parties, kidnappings, and the deaths of family members and friends.

From the teenaged Nancy Kelsey, who carried her infant daughter across the Sierra Nevada in 1841, to the survivors of the ill-fated Donner party in 1846-1847, the Gold Rush orphans of 1849, and the youngsters who crossed Death Valley and the southwestern deserts in the 1850s, the eyewitness accounts of these pioneer children speak of fortitude, faith, and invincibility in the face of great odds.

Publish Date
Publisher
Westview Press
Language
English
Pages
202

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Pioneer children on the journey West
Pioneer children on the journey West
1995, Westview Press
in English

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-196) and index.

Published in
Boulder

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
917.804/1/083
Library of Congress
F596 .W467 1995, F596.W467 1995

The Physical Object

Pagination
xii, 202 p. :
Number of pages
202

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL1112558M
Internet Archive
pioneerchildreno0000wern
ISBN 10
0813320267
LCCN
94038427
OCLC/WorldCat
31328427
Library Thing
1004965
Goodreads
4562334

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON
July 16, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
October 4, 2021 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
April 28, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Linked existing covers to the work.
February 6, 2010 Edited by WorkBot add more information to works
December 10, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page