A forty-niner from Tennessee

the long version

When Hugh Brown Heiskell set out from Tennessee for the California gold fields in 1849, he was one of thousands traveling west in search of fortune. Hugh and his cousin Tyler joined a wagon train from St. Louis and made their way across a continent that most people of the time could only imagine. What distinguishes him from other Forty-niners, however, is the captivating record he kept of that journey. This unique book includes not only Heiskell's journal but also numerous letters to family back home. Although many Forty-niners kept diaries, Heiskell wrote in great detail to provide a more complete sense of life on the trail and the difficulties of the journey. Averaging just sixteen miles each day, his party faced challenges such as the three-day desert crossing during which they lost more than half of their oxen and wagons. Of special interest are Heiskell's observations about Native Americans, their customs, their clothing, and their shelters. And, finally, readers will be deeply moved by the fate of the adventurers once they reached their destination. Edward M. Steel has integrated other sources with Heiskell's story to provide a broader overview of the gold rush days. His prologue introduces readers to young Heiskell's background, explains how wagon trains operated, and describes the country that the Forty-niners crossed. His careful annotations, meanwhile, shed light on specific points in the diary.