Revised from earlier edition published by Tamarack Books in 1993.

In 1841 and 1842 small groups of emigrants tried to discover a route to California passable by wagons. Without reliable maps or guides, they pushed ahead, retreated, detoured, split up, and regrouped, reaching their destination only at great cost of property and life. But they had found a trail, or cleared one, and by their mistakes had shown others how to take wagon trains across half a continent. By 1844 a great migration was in progress. Each successive party learned from those who went before where to cross rivers and mountains, when to rest, when to forge ahead, and how to find food and water. Increased experience was translated into better wagon designs, improved understanding of climate and terrain, and better-supplied and -organized caravans. George R. Stewart's California Trail describes the trail's year-by-year changes as weather conditions, new exploration, and the changing character of emigrants affected it. Successes and disasters (like the Donner party's fate) are presented in nearly personal detail. More than a history of the trail, this book tells how to travel it, what it felt like, what was feared and hoped for.

Here lies a description of the history of the Oregon Trail - from past to present. It is a unique blend of maps, guides, emigrant diaries and journals, old drawings and paintings, together with recent photographs. This book tells the story of the Oregon Trail in an interesting, easy to read manner and is packed with information for everyone -- the armchair traveler, the tourist, the historian and the Oregon Trail buff.

Was in most ways similar to that of other emigrants, the religious motivations, tight organization, and family groups of the Mormons gave their migration a distinct character. William Hill introduces the Mormons, their eventful early history, and the characteristics of the migration west. His book also includes a chronology of trail-related events, excerpts from diaries and guidebooks, songs, historical maps, over 200 then and now illustrations, descriptions of major.