A Journal of Travels into the Arkansas Territory During the Year 1819 (Arkansas Classics) [Paperback]

THOMAS NUTTALL (Author)

Book Description

Series: Arkansas Classics | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

This is the famous naturalist Thomas Nuttall’s only surviving complete journal of his American scientific explorations. The account follows Nuttall’s route from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, down the Ohio River to its mouth, then down the Mississippi River to the Arkansas Post, and up the Arkansas River with a side trip to the Red River. It is filled with valuable details on the plants, animals, and geology of the region, as well as penetrating observations of the resident Native tribes, the military establishment at Fort Smith, the arrival of the first governor of Arkansas Territory, and the beginnings of white settlement.

Originally published in 1980 by the University of Oklahoma Press, this fine edited version of Nuttall’s work boasts a valuable introduction, notes, maps, and bibliography by Savoie Lottinville.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Nuttall was a self-educated botanist who came to the United States from Liverpool in 1808 at the age of twenty-two. Nuttall made several scientific expeditions in America during the first half of the nineteenth century. He was recognized in his time for his botanical discoveries, served for many years as a lecturer in natural science and as curator of the Cambridge Botanic Garden at Harvard, and published several books.

Savoie Lottinville, editor of four series of books published by the University of Oklahoma Press during his tenure as director from 1938 to 1967, is Regents Professor of History in the University and Director Emeritus of the Press. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and of the University of Oxford, England, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: University of Arkansas Press (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557285616
• ISBN-13: 978-1557285614
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true adventure, July 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Journal of Travels into the Arkansas Territory During the Year 1819 (Arkansas Classics) (Paperback)

This is the journal of Thomas Nuttall who, in 1819, with $200 and a residual case of malaria,traveled from Philadelphia down the Ohio and the Mississippi to the Arkansas River and various of its tributaries. His journey extended as far west as the current site of Oklahoma City. His account of the plant and animal life, the geology and the streams of Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma are accurate, jargon-free and, in many cases, still definitive. His portrayals of the European and Native Americans he met are objective, unsentimental and unprejudiced. Througout the considerable dangers and difficulties he faced, he maintained, and conveyed, a refreshing sense of wonder at the natural world he explored, an attitude of realistic compassion for the people he encountered and a sense of the historical significance of what he witnessed. The journals are well-edited by Prof. Lottinville whose notes identify sites described by Mr. Nuttall with their current names and provide historical context for various events discussed in the book. This book is a great find for anyone interested in the land, history and people of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the most definitive sources of Quapaw Indian culture, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Journal of Travels into the Arkansas Territory During the Year 1819 (Arkansas Classics) (Paperback)

Thomas Nuttall traveled through Arkansas on the White river and described what he saw in great detail. He actually named many of the plants that he found on the trip. The drawings in the book depict landscapes that anyone from Arkansas would recognize yet devoid of all the manmade features.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MORE THINGS REALLY CHANGE..., October 6, 2010

By 

JOBLESSNUSA - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Journal of Travels into the Arkansas Territory During the Year 1819 (Arkansas Classics) (Paperback)

I LIVE HERE! (OKLAHOMA) I WAS BORN IN ARKANSAS. MY ANCESTORS LIVED IN LEE CREEK, ARKANSAS. THEY ALMOST
CERTAINLY KNEW MR. NUTTALL AND PROVIDED HIM WITH A PLACE TO STAY! WE HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE THE 1700'S.
THIS IS A VERY GOOD JOURNAL/ NARRATIVE OF HIS TRIP WEST. ANOTHER IS WASHINGTON IRVING'S TRIP THROUGH THE SAME AREA " A TOUR OF THE PRAIRIES". AND OF COURSE LEWIS AND CLARK.
NUTTALL RECORDED WEATHER DATA AND CONDITIONS. THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME TODAY!

GET THIS TO READ ABOUT AN ERA IN AMERICAN LONG GONE. GET OUT A MAP AND FIND HIGHWAY 59 ON THE ARKANSAS BORDER. THAT'S THE FIRST ROAD EVER IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY BUILT BY THE US ARMY. BEFORE THAT YOU USED RIVERS OR ROAD HORSEBACK! MY ANCESTORS USED THE ROAD TO MIGRATE TO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AND SETTLE THERE.

WE TAKE SO MUCH FOR GRANTED TODAY. TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO THINGS WERE VERY DIFFERENT.

Get "True Grit" movie. It's about Ft. Smith and the Choctaw Nation late 19th early 20th century.