Category Archives: The way west

Panama, the easy route to California

Posted on February 23, 2012 by John Putnam

As soon as trains ran regularly along the Panama Railway between Panama City and Aspinwall, and passengers were not delayed more than a few hours in either direction or more than a day or two across the whole isthmus, the … Continue reading →

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The Panama Railroad

Posted on February 22, 2012 by John Putnam

The news of the failure of Page, Bacon & Co. in St. Louis reached San Francisco by way of the newly completed Panama Railroad. In February 1855 the fastest means of communication between the east coast of the United States … Continue reading →

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Mutiny on California ships

Posted on September 25, 2011 by John Putnam

When passengers for California made a bargain with a ship captain for passage they expected that the terms of that agreement be adhered to fairly and honestly. This was not always done. Many ship captains were as corrupt on land … Continue reading →

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Crossing Panama

Posted on September 22, 2011 by John Putnam

Many of the gold seekers who came by way of Panama differed from those who came around Cape Horn as well as from those who crossed America by wagon. A good number simply hoped to avoid the hardship of the … Continue reading →

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The voyage around Cape Horn

Posted on September 21, 2011 by John Putnam

The gold seekers who chose to sail to California by sea also had their experiences with what might be called Lynch law. But the men who opted for the long route, around Cape Horn at the tip of South America, … Continue reading →

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Justice on the wagon trains

Posted on September 20, 2011 by John Putnam

It was said to have started with a Virginia farmer named Lynch who caught a thief then tied the man to a tree and personally flogged him instead of handing him over to officers of the law. Lynch, it seems, … Continue reading →

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Gold rush wagon trains

Posted on September 19, 2011 by John Putnam

The forming of the great wagon trains of the 49ers was a mighty spectacle and, for almost all who went west with them, a tremendous experience well worth the toil, hardship and danger they encountered. Nothing like this had happened … Continue reading →

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Hardship on the trail west

Posted on September 18, 2011 by John Putnam

While the gold fever lasted, from 1849 to about 1855, the true caliber of the men and women who crossed the country was sorely tested by the many trials and tribulations they faced. A man’s bad qualities were sure to … Continue reading →

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Lynch law and the wagon trains

Posted on September 15, 2011 by John Putnam

On May 16, 1842 one of the first organized wagon trains, with one hundred and sixty souls, half of them armed men, left Elm Grove, Missouri for the Oregon Territory. At some point on their way one man proposed to … Continue reading →

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To California by sea

Posted on September 14, 2011 by John Putnam

At the onset of the gold rush of 1849 America was less than seventy-five years old, but the generations of self-government had already made this country one of the happiest and most powerful on the face of the earth. The … Continue reading →

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