Customer Reviews

Lost In Death Valley:The True

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

 

 

In the fall of 1849, 27 wagons and 100 people followed a nonexistent shortcut to the California gold fields. The unfortunate travelers trekked through Utah Territory and blundered into Death Valley, becoming the first non-Native Americans to experience its grim landscape. While 13 men died of hunger and thirst, four families and their 11 children walked through Death Valley and the Mohave Desert to Los Angeles.

Other books have been written about these "Death Valley `49ers," but this is the first that concentrates on the four families, the Briers, Arcans, Bennetts, and Wades. It's also the first book written for children about this exciting and little-known historical event. Suitable for ages ten and up, adults enjoy the story of these four brave families as much as children do. The book is rich in archival photographs and quotes from source documents. This thrilling adventure will appeal to nonfiction and fiction readers alike.

Be sure you have a glass of water near you when you start reading this book! This is an incredible account of four families on their way to the Gold Rush, who decide to take a "shortcut" that lands them in Death Valley. Children as young as one-year-old are traveling with the families trapped and looking for a way out of the barren desert. Just when they think they won't last another minute, they happen upon a small puddle of water and are sustained a while longer. Amazingly, almost everyone survives! A quick read and an unforgettable story!

This nonfiction book tells the story of a group of '49ers who looked for a nonexistent shortcut and got lost in Death Valley on their way to the California Gold Rush. While 13 men perished of hunger and thirst, the four families and their 11 children walked through Death Valley and the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles. Filled with archival photographs and quotes from source documents, this book is suitable for ages 10 through adult. A new story of the Old West - one that is sure to thrill history buffs.