This is one of the few books I have reviewed that is historical non-fiction, that is, a book that was written in a specific time frame that covers then-current events. In 1846, Francis Parkman set off from St. Louis to explore the west. Although he was a young man, he had some health issues, so this was not an easy journey for him. And traveling anywhere in this time frame was not easily done, for anyone. When he returned, he published the story of his journey, apparently first serialized in a magazine, and then in book form. Despite this not being a “new release”, I found that not only was this available in my local library, it was also available as an ebook.
Parkman describes in detail the flora and fauna that he and his group of traveling companions encounter. He also describes the different individuals and groups that he crosses paths with. He is not always complimentary, and there are times that though his comments would not have concerned the readers in the time period he was writing in, they will make a 21st century reader wince. Between the weather, the threat of attack from people or animals, and disease, his journey was undoubtedly dangerous, something he does not really dwell on. But then, he was a young man exploring an area that very few other White men had seen at that point.
One of the things that I found surprising was how far and fast people were able to travel on horseback. Obviously, not as fast as they would be able to travel a few decades later on trains, but Parkman still managed to cover quite a bit of ground. I did not try to map his journey, but if you had a good map from that era, it might be possible. Someone may have already done so. The really depressing part, especially toward the end of the book, is how completely casually he and his group killed buffalo. Of course, he didn’t know then what we know now.
If this was your family, how would you research them? While there are very few records available if you think your ancestors traveled in the western territories before the Civil War, this is an excellent book to read to get a feel for what their travels might have been like. Parkman does mention a number of other people he encounters in his journey; it would be interesting to see if anyone was descended from any of them. And reading travelogues or trail diaries, even if your ancestors didn’t write them and aren’t mentioned, is a good way to learn about what your ancestors might have experienced. Local historical societies might be a good resource here.