No Trail to Follow: The First Wagon Party to California, 1841

Product Description

In May, 1841, an emigrant wagon party left Missouri and set out for far-off California. It had never been done before. Called the Bartleson-Bidwell party, its members would blindly grope their way across uncharted territory, with no idea of what to expect, what was ahead, what path to take, or how far they had to go. It was a landmark event in the settlement of the Far West. It was a miracle that they made it, and how they did it is one of the great stories in American history.

Review

Michael E. LaSalle has fashioned an account of the Bartleson-Bidwell party in 1841 that reads like an adventure novel. It uses two wonderful first-hand accounts of the journey as well as the author s own comments to support these accounts, painting a vivid image of what that first crossing of the West was like. The volume, divided into generally two-week periods, makes for an exciting read bookended by a clear and helpful introduction which sets the stage, and an epilogue which then ties up the loose ends with accounts of what happened to many of the members of the party. –Patricia L. Keats, Library Director, The Society of California Pioneers

The much heralded First Wagon Party to California was led by people who had no knowledge of the trail and no experience in the West. The author follows the two diarists of the expedition, John Bidwell and James John. In places where details from these men are incomplete, he uses information from others recollections. The author meticulously researched not just the story but also the land. . . . The book is written in an easy-to-read conversational style. –Loren Pospisil, Site Supervisor, Chimney Rock Visitor Center

About the Author

Michael E. LaSalle is a retired attorney who graduated from University of California, Davis, Law School in 1970. During his many years practicing law, he found himself constantly drawn to the history of the Far West, especially to the era of the covered wagon and the emigrant trails. In 2011, Truman State University Press published his book Emigrants on the Overland Trail: The Wagon Trains of 1848. He lives near Hanford, California.