Inside the Vault: The Overland Trail

What was life like along the Overland Trail in the 1820s? What hardships did travelers face? On March 7, 2024 our curators were joined by Dr. Sarah Keyes (University of Nevada, Reno) to discuss letters from people on the Trail.

View slides from the presentation here.

FEATURED DOCUMENTS

• Horn’s Overland Guide, 1852
• Samuel Russell to his mother and sisters, June 10, 1862
• William H. Alden to Mother, September 9, 1864
• William H. Alden to Mother, October 2, 1864

USE THE TIMESTAMPS BELOW TO JUMP TO THE TOPIC YOU WANT TO VIEW

1:20–4:52: Today’s documents
4:53–7:15: Horn's Overland Guide
7:16–12:54: Map from Horn’s Overland Guide
12:55–17:24: Native American tribes and Horn’s Overland Guide
17:25–19:42: Advertisement from Horn’s Overland Guide
19:43–25:25: Samuel Russell
25:26–35:25: Samuel Russell to his mother and sisters, June 10, 1862
35:26–39:00: William H. Alden
39:01–41:19: William Alden to his mother, September 9, 1864
41:20–44:07: William Alden to his mother, October 2, 1864
44:08–58:16: Q&A

RELATED RESOURCES

• Essay: “The Myth of the Frontier: Progress or Lost Freedom” by John Mack Faragher (Mount Holyoke College), History Now 9 (Fall 2006)
• Essay: “Women of the West” by Virginia Scharff (University of New Mexico), History Now 9 (Fall 2006)
• Essay: “US Treaties with American Indian Nations” by Gautham Rao (American University), History Resources
• Essay: “The Development of the West” by Ned Blackhawk (Yale University), History Resources
• Spotlight on a Primary Source by Samuel Russell: “On the emigrant trail, 1862”