Oregon-California Trails Association | Prime, Edwin M.

Prime, Edwin M. – 1850 Journal

Merrill J. Mattes Collection·

“This morning a short distance from camp we found a man murdered and covered up with willow bushes. The side of his head was considerably fractured. As there was signs of there having
been a trading station here we came to the natural conclusion that he had been murdered by his
partners for his money. We took our shovels and buried him as decently as possible.”~ Edwin M. Prime, October 6, 1850

This journal describes the route taken from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to California, heading to the gold fields.
On March 18, 1850, Edwin Prime headed to Council Bluffs from Walworth Co., Wisconsin, with the intention of traveling to the California gold fields.
The last entry ends on October 12, 1850.
28 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.