In the spring of 1844, eleven covered wagons headed west from Council Bluffs, Iowa. Some fifty men, women, and children, along with their oxen and herd of nearly a hundred cattle, made up the caravan. Slowly but steadily it plodded toward California. Traveling with this group of pioneers was a spirited seventeen-year-old boy named Mose Schallengerger, who kept a journal of the trip.
From Mose's notes, author George Stewart has drawn fascinating firsthand information about the events of that journey, from encounters with Indians and buffalo to near-starvation and disaster. Here is the story of these brave pioneers, the first to reach California by covered wagon.
United States