The National Wagon Road Guide
In the early 1800’s the American west was still a largely unknown territory where opportunity and adventure abounded, and the dangers of the wild and remote landscape kept all but the toughest of settlers from venturing forth.
The landmarks that guided those settlers along the way were little more than verbal descriptions and rough maps with rutted trails that often washed out or blew away in the unpredictable weather.
The need for written guides would have been obvious to the ambitious and educated traveler, and that’s where a Wadsworth steps in to fill the need.
Little is known about William Wadsworth, the author of one of those guide books known as “The National Wagon Road Guide” which described the trail from St Joseph and Council Bluffs to California via the south pass of the Rocky Mountains. Yet here is another example of a Wadsworth being directly involved in the settling of this great nation.
My nephew and I now have copies of this guide. This site is very helpful and I hope to learn more about the earlysttlers of California. I recently visited the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford Connecticut. What an impressive and interesting site.
My great grandfather, Harry Elmer Wadsworth emigrated to Wyoming from Illinois before Wyoming was a state. Ultimately, he received a Congressional appointment and became the Indian Agent at the Wind River Reservation, where my grandpa was born. As a child, my grandpa showed us all around Wyoming and the areas what were of significance to our family history, including South Pass City.
I also have in my possession, an original copy of a book titled “Two Hundred and Fifty Years of the Wadsworth Family in America”. The book was printed in Lawrence, Mass in 1883, a year after the family reunion.
Wow! This may have been written by my forefather, William Marsh Wadsworth. I know he made several trips from Illinois to California. One trip was in 1859 with the Wynecoop unit. Martha later became his wife and they were the parents of my great grandfather, Schyler Wadsworth. Can anyone help me find out? I’d love to see a digital copy of the guide if it’s available.
https://ia800109.us.archive.org/7/items/GR_4502/GR_4502.pdf
downloadable in several formats
Is this guide in reprint? I would like to get a copy of it if it is.
Thank you