The Butterfield Overland Mail: Only Through Passenger on the First Westbound Stage
Written by: Waterman L. Ormsby
Edited by: Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum
Category: Western History
Format: 179 pages, 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.5, paper
Release Date: 1991-01-01
ISBN: 978-0-87328-232-1
Price: $19.95
About this Book
This is the classic firsthand account by Waterman L. Ormsby, a reporter
who in 1858 crossed the western states as the sole through passenger of
the Butterfield Overland Mail stage on its first trip from St. Louis to
San Francisco. Ormsby's reports, which promptly appeared in the New York Herald, are
lively and exciting. He describes the journey in close detail, giving
full accounts of the conveyances, the accommodations, the other
passengers, the country through which they passed, the dangers to which
they were exposed, and the constant necessity for speed.
About the Author
Waterman L. Ormsby was a special correspondent for the New York Herald.
Notes:
Reviews of The Butterfield Overland Mail:
“The best narrative of the trip and one of the best accounts of western travel by sage.”—Pacific Historical Review
“If other travelers had been as careful and observant as Ormsby we should know vastly more about our country and the ways of our fathers than we do . . . The book is fascinating.”—Southern California Historical Society Quarterly
“The book is fascinating. It will prove interesting to all who care for travelogues, the history of the West, and particularly to those interested in our economic history.--Journal of Economic History "Solid primary source material and a great piece of Americana." —Library Journal
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