Oregon-California Trails Association | Porter, Joseph E. – Journal of the Route from Council Bluffs to California

Porter, Joseph E. – Journal of the Route from Council Bluffs to California

Merrill J. Mattes Collection·

“Saturday 20th – Left the Sink last night at 4 p.m., to cross the great American Desert. Had plenty of alkali and sulphur water to drink for 8 miles, as the river this season flows 8 miles farther than usual, flowing to its being unusually high. 8 p.m. -passed a salt spring which was not fit for use.” ~ Joseph E. Porter

The Gazette, Waukegan, Lake CO., Illinois, November 30 and December 7, 1850.
Excerpts from the the journal of Joseph Porter regarding his trip from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to California.
13 Pages

The collection was begun in 1991 by the late Merrill J. Mattes, a co-founder of the Oregon-California Trails Association. That original nucleus was a result of a generous donation from Merrill and reflected his many years as an award-winning National Park Service historian and also included works of his own authorship. The collection is housed at the national Frontier Trails Museum in Independence, Missouri. Here, you have access to many of the original trail diaries he collected in digital form.