The Journals of Harrison G. Rogers [ Southwest Expedition ]

A Bound / Flex Cover / REPRINT: Cleveland : Arthur H. Clark Company, 1918 / The Ashley-Smith Explorations/ Reprint / FBRE Ltd Modern archival reprint of original edition, no other publication date marked. 76 pages. 3 illustrations. Paper / Soft cover reprint edition in very good or better condition, slight wear to edges. Overall good copy of this scarce title. Excellent read. A good book to enjoy and keep on hand. Or would make a great gift for the fan / reader in your life. History: Expedition of 1826-1827 : Rogers and Smith spent almost a year on this journey, leaving Great Salt Lake with fifteen men on a trapping and trading expedition on August 22, 1826. The trip is documented in the first of the two journals given here and a letter of Smith to William Clark : Passing southwest through lands belonging to the Ute, Paiute, and Mohave nations they reached the Colorado River in early October. Crossing the Mohave Desert, they arrived at the Spanish mission of San Gabriel, near present-day Los Angeles, the following month to spend the winter. Rogers’ first journal (pages 197-228 in this document) describes part of their sojourn at the mission of San Gabriel. Because the Spanish would not let Smith trade in their coastal settlements, the party traveled north up the central valley before climbing through the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the end of May, crossing Nevada close to the route of modern-day U.S. Highway 6, and entering Utah near present-day Grandy. They reached the rendezvous site near Great Salt Lake again in July, 1827. Expedition of 1827-1828 : After this trip, Smith and Rogers immediately retraced their route with another group of traders, but half were killed before they reached California. Smith, Rogers and the survivors continued north from California into Oregon and up the Pacific Coast; this portion of the trip is described in Rogers’ second journal (pages 237-271 in this document). On July 14, 1828, all but four of the group, including Rogers, were killed by Umpqua Indians in present-day Douglas County, Oregon. Excerpt from first journal: Broad, handsomely stripped, the cattle differ from ours; they have large horns, long legs, and slim bodies; the beef similar to ours. The face of the country changes hourly, handsome bottoms covered with grass similar to ours. Blue grass; the mou. goes lower and clear of rock to what they have been heretofore. MONDAY, NOVEMBER : 27TH. We got ready as early as possible and started a W. course, and traveled, 14 m. and enc. for the day, we passed innumerable herds of cattle, horses and some hundred of sheep; we passed 4 or 5 Ind. lodges, that their Inds. acts as herdsmen. There came an old Ind. to us that speaks good Spanish, and took us with him to his mansion, which consisted of 22 rows of large and lengthy buildings, after the Spanish mode, that' remind me of the British Barracks. So soon as we enc. there was plenty prepared to eat, a fine young cow killed, and a plenty of corn meal given us; pretty soon after the 2 commandants of the missionary establishment come to us and had the appearance of gentlemen. Mr. S. went with them to the Mansion and I stay with the company, there was great feasting among the men as they were pretty hungry not having any good meat for some time. 28TH. Mr. S. wrote me a note in the morning, stating that he was received as a gentleman and treated as such, and that he wished me to go back and look for a pistol that was lost, and send the company on to the missionary establishment. I complyed with his request, went back, and found the pistol, and arrived late .... C: clean and unmarked Text. Soft Bound Flex Cover. Very Good/No Dust Jacket. Illus. by Some b/w Illustrations. Facsimile Bound Reprint Edition. American History, Biography.