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In the Early Days Along the Overland Trail in Nebraska Territory, in 1852
Excerpt from In the Early Days Along the Overland Trail in Nebraska Territory, in 1852
A true story plainly told, of immense historical value and fascinating interest from beginning to end.
I have read every word of "In the Early Days," written by Mr. Gilbert L. Cole, with great interest and profit. The language is well chosen, the word-pictures are vivid, and the subject-matter is of historic value. The story is fascinating in the extreme, and I only wished it were longer. The story should be printed and distributed for the people in general to read.
At a single sitting, with intense interest, I have read the manuscript of "In the Early Days." It is a very entertaining narrative of adventure, a vivid portrayal of conditions and an instructive history of events as they came into the personal experience and under the observation of the writer fifty-three years ago.
A true story plainly told, of immense historical value and fascinating interest from beginning to end.
I have read every word of "In the Early Days," written by Mr. Gilbert L. Cole, with great interest and profit. The language is well chosen, the word-pictures are vivid, and the subject-matter is of historic value. The story is fascinating in the extreme, and I only wished it were longer. The story should be printed and distributed for the people in general to read.
At a single sitting, with intense interest, I have read the manuscript of "In the Early Days." It is a very entertaining narrative of adventure, a vivid portrayal of conditions and an instructive history of events as they came into the personal experience and under the observation of the writer fifty-three years ago.
129 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 17, 2019
Cole was a member of a wagon train that set out for California in 1852 as part of the Gold Rush. The journey started at Michigan, and it took the party several long, slow months to inch their way across the plains and mountains. I often wonder if these people thought the price they paid was worth it. Early in the trip, Cole tells of seeing a child smiling at him from the back of a wagon, only to fall out and be crushed to death by a wagon wheel a moment later. Yet another time, Cole had to rescue a woman and her two children as their waterlogged wagon was swept downstream, then help rescue the woman's worthless husband from a lynching party because the man ignored the peril of his family to concentrate on rescuing his horses instead.
The last part of the journey is the worst, crossing deserts with nothing to drink except occasional water too brackish to touch. By this time, Cole has scurvy and his gums are bleeding, and he is frantic for the taste of something sour (this apparently is one of the side effects of scurvy). When he comes across a man with a jug of vinegar, Cole offers to buy a cup, but is refused. Cole thereupon loses his head entirely. He takes out his gun and chases the man intending to kill him and steal the vinegar, then regains his senses and lets the man escape. Not long after, he finds a seller of dill pickles, and he stuffs his mouth with these in such a piggish fashion the seller pointedly asks him to leave the tent.
When the party reaches the end of the desert to find a general store waiting there, thoughtfully provisioned with drinking cups and places for weary travelers to rest, they greet it like it's the Garden of Eden. After months of exposure to heat, rain, and weather, Cole's rifle literally falls apart in his hands, and he has an outline of sunburned straps on his shoulders that fade only a full year later.
As I said, I wonder why people did it back then. I wouldn't choose to undergo that for any amount of gold.
Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21263...
The last part of the journey is the worst, crossing deserts with nothing to drink except occasional water too brackish to touch. By this time, Cole has scurvy and his gums are bleeding, and he is frantic for the taste of something sour (this apparently is one of the side effects of scurvy). When he comes across a man with a jug of vinegar, Cole offers to buy a cup, but is refused. Cole thereupon loses his head entirely. He takes out his gun and chases the man intending to kill him and steal the vinegar, then regains his senses and lets the man escape. Not long after, he finds a seller of dill pickles, and he stuffs his mouth with these in such a piggish fashion the seller pointedly asks him to leave the tent.
When the party reaches the end of the desert to find a general store waiting there, thoughtfully provisioned with drinking cups and places for weary travelers to rest, they greet it like it's the Garden of Eden. After months of exposure to heat, rain, and weather, Cole's rifle literally falls apart in his hands, and he has an outline of sunburned straps on his shoulders that fade only a full year later.
As I said, I wonder why people did it back then. I wouldn't choose to undergo that for any amount of gold.
Available at Open Library:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21263...
August 31, 2023
Sincerly, this book is not a journal but a rethorical recontruction of a journey that the author make 50 years previously.
Time has embellished memories and probably changed memory in a positive way.
Confronting this lecture with Journal of a Trip to California Across the Continent from Weston, Mo., to Weber Creek, Cal., in the Summer of 1850 and with Across the Plains to California in 1852 Journal of Mrs. Lodisa Frizzell the reader will understand how much better and realistic this two are.
2 stars
Time has embellished memories and probably changed memory in a positive way.
Confronting this lecture with Journal of a Trip to California Across the Continent from Weston, Mo., to Weber Creek, Cal., in the Summer of 1850 and with Across the Plains to California in 1852 Journal of Mrs. Lodisa Frizzell the reader will understand how much better and realistic this two are.
2 stars
October 16, 2017
Great book
The author recounts his experiences heading West as a young man, with eloquence. There were many bittersweet moments and odd adventures. Overall, a celebration of life.
The author recounts his experiences heading West as a young man, with eloquence. There were many bittersweet moments and odd adventures. Overall, a celebration of life.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews