Download or read book Emigrants on the Overland Trail written by Michael E. LaSalle and published by Truman State Univ Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presenting the “lost” year of the overland emigrants in 1848, this volume sheds light on the journey of the men, women, children, and the wagon trains that made the challenging trek from Missouri to Oregon and California. These primary sources, written by seven men and women diarists from different wagon companies, tell how settlers endured the tribulations of a five-month westward journey covering 2,000 miles. These intrepid souls include a young mother, a French priest, a college-educated teacher, and an ox driver. Subjected to the extremes of fear, failure, suffering, and hope, they persevered and finally triumphed.