Can I read What I Saw in California on EtoBox?

What I Saw in California by Edwin Bryant is a history book available to read on EtoBox.

What is What I Saw in California about?

Edwin Bryant made the journey from Independence, Missouri to California in the years 1846-47, through the southern pass of the Rocky Mountains and across the desert. As a medical student, he became an unofficial doctor along the way, and witnessed some gruesome scenes, like the amputation of a little boy’s gangrenous leg, which he describes in painful scientific detail. He is equally explicit when portraying the daily life of the wagon trip, and his prose illuminates the trials of the traveler: *"During the process of cooking supper, it commenced raining and blowing with great violence. Our fire was nearly extinguished by the deluge of water from the clouds, and our dough was almost turned to batter..."* Bryant intended his work to function as both entertainment to the general reader and instruction for those planning to follow his path, and the book is a repository of useful information, like distances, weather, water source locations, and descriptions of plant life. As such, it is invaluable to enthusiasts of Western history. It is also a really good story, with entertaining sketches of camp life, Indians, and animals. Bryant’s descriptions of the landscapes are particularly comp

Who reads What I Saw in California?

Author

Edwin Bryant

Publisher

University of Nebraska Press

Published

1985

Language

EN

ISBN

9780803260702

Category

history

Subjects

History, Travel, Humanities

Rating

3.4 / 5 (19 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14