| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 33.1

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| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 33.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Journeys to the Land of Gold: Emigrant Diaries from the Bozeman Trail, 1863–1866. Edited by Susan Badger Doyle. (Helena: Montana Historical Society Press, 2000. Vol. 1: xx + 419 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes. Vol. 2: 416 pp. Illustrations, notes, appendixes, bibliography, index. $95.)

Susan Badger Doyle has provided a valuable service to historians by producing Journeys to the Land of Gold. In this luxurious, two-volume work, she brings together thirty-three diaries and reminiscences of travel along the "Bozeman cut-off," the shortcut to the Montana gold fields prospected in 1863 by John Bozeman and John Jacobs (p. 307). 1

The attraction of these diaries and reminiscences lies in their immediacy. The personalities of the authors emerge through their writings and prove vital to their assessment of the journey. Some journals, like that of Benjamin Williams Ryan, are sparse. He records distances traveled, road conditions, and little more. Others, like the diary of teamster C. M. Lee, are lengthy and full of discussion concerning personal relationships on the trail. Many of the authors enjoyed the journey, especially the music and dancing that often took place in the evening. Others, especially the teenage boys, were excited by the adventure; they recorded in detail all contact with bears, wolves, and potentially hostile Indians. For some, such as C. Adelia French's mother, who lost her baby daughter to meningitis, the trip proved to be a time of immense heartache. . . .

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