Title: An excursion to California over the prairie, Rocky mountains, and great Sierra Nevada
First published: 1851
Description: Englishman William Redmond Kelly (1791-1855) visited California in 1849 and 1850, and his account of that trip was widely read. An excursion to California (1851) is the two-volume account of Kelly's trip to the American West. The first volume takes him from England to California, January-July 1849. After landing in New York City, Kelly records his route through Buffalo, Detroit, Ottawa, Illinois, and St. Louis, before joining an overland train at Independence, Missouri in April. He records scenery and wildlife and Native American tribes as well as buffalo and antelope hunts and the party's stay in Utah. The book provides exceptional depth of detail on the mechanics of a wagon train's operations. The volume closes with Kelly's arrival in California and remarks on gold mining. The second volume was published separately the next year as "A stroll through the diggings of California." Here Kelly describes gold prospecting and life in mining camps on the Sacramento River and Rock, Middle, and Salt Creeks as well as visits to Sacramento, San Jose, and San Francisco. Throughout, he offers details of daily life and work and observations on native ethnic groups and European immigrants.
Subjects: Description and travel, Gold discoveries, Overland journeys to the Pacific, Ethnic groups
Places: California, West (U.S.)
LC classification: F593 .K287