Customer Reviews

Death Valley in '49: The Autobiography of a Pioneer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1849, a party of a hunded men, women, and children set off for California. By the time they reached Salt Lake City, it was so late in the season that people advised against trying to cross the snow-locked Sierras, lest they suffer the same fate as the Donner Party three years earlier. They headed south, but became lost in desert country. Exhausted and starving, they were trapped in a deep, barren valley. William Manley volunteered to try to climb out of the valley and get help. He made an incredible journey on foot to Los Angeles. Although most of the party died, those that survived until rescued named the place Death Valley. In this volume, Manley tells the story of the trapped party and his struggle to reach Los Angeles to get help. Settle down with the book and a good set of maps, and enjoy the tale told first-hand.

I was a little hesitant about reading this book, because it was written in the 1890s and I was afraid that the prose might be tough to slog through. But in fact, the writing style is very readable and the book is a real page-turner. It's almost like a big historical novel, except that it's all true. The author lived a life of high adventure and describes everything that happened to him in clear and dramatic terms. The highlight of the book is the story of crossing Death Valley in 1849 with a small party of emigrants, and nearly dying both from thirst and starvation. Very vivid stuff!

Fascinating, page-turning autobiography by one of the real 49ers who came to California via a devastating shortcut through Death Valley. Many in the party died enroute, and Manly himself almost lost his life crossing the Mojave, then returned to help extricate the stranded survivors. Excellent description of how it really was to leave a comfortable life in the east for the chance of finding gold and getting rich in California and the dangers the pioneers faced when they decided to cross the Missouria river and head west.

This story has stayed with me more than almost any other. Whenever I feel 'oppressed' by life, I put it in perspective by thinking about these pioneers and the hardships they endured. It's humbling. We are so fortunate to have the technological wonders of our time that help us overcome obstacles.

In addition to the previous reviews are the many adventures of William Manly in this book. Beginning from the time he moved his family and drove the family's ox cart alone at the age of 9 from Vermont to Michigan, to being a professional hunter in Wisconsin. The book is full of adventure.

Upon his travel to follow the gold rush in 1849 he attempted to travel the Colorado River by water all the way to California but abandoned the idea after consulting with a local Indian tribe just before certain doom. He then found his lost party from Wisconsin and continued with them on a "short cut" to California. As the troubles began and the party started to starve, die of thirst and disintegrate, he felt compelled to stay with his group or forever be guilty of murder for leaving them without his guidance.

He and an acquaintance, Mr. Rogers, set out alone to survey the trail and bring back supplies for the families and you can tell the friendly relationship with Mr. Rogers by his only mentioning him a few times even though they spent so much time together and had only 1/2 blanket between the two of them in all their travels so had to sleep together every night in the "spoon" position. Contrasting greatly with the account he relates to two in his party that abandoned him at the river with constant quarreling on their travels to Salt Lake.

As one who is very familiar with Newhall, California I especially loved this narrative of that town after coming out of the desert and traveling through the Mojave Desert in search of a path to Los Angeles. "...a most pleasing sight filled our sick hearts with a most indescribable joy. I shall never have the ability to adequately describe the beauty of the scene as it appeared to us, and so long as I live that landscape will be impressed upon the canvas of my memory as the most cheering in the world. There before us was a beautiful meadow of a thousand acres, green as a thick carpet of grass could make it and shaded with oaks, wide branching and symmetrical, equal to those of an old English park, while all over the low mountains that bordered it on the south and over the broad acres of luxuriant grass was a herd of cattle..."

There are some printing mistakes and some repetition in the book especially in regards to the "Jayhawkers" but you can't skip the section lest you miss some great stories.

The book consumed me for 3 days. It's very readable and you will definitely appreciate your life more after reading this.

I purchased this book based on a recommendation from a guide I had on a recent trip I took to the National Parks Utah. I found this book accurately depicts the trials and tribulations experienced by the 49'ers on their quest for gold. I was very entertained by the writers style and level of details he presented.