This was the indispensable handbook for American pioneers traveling west in the mid 19th century. Commissioned and published by the U.S. government and written in a straightforward and helpful voice by U.S. Army officer Randolph Barnes Marcy (1812-1887), it offers all the useful and necessary advice overland travelers to the far West needed to ensure a safe journey: . the different routes to California and Oregon . how to pack a wagon for the journey . finding and purifying water . repairing broken wagons . weathering storms . how to handle saddle wounds . the best way to make a fire on the prairie . interacting with Indians . hints on the best methods of hunting . and much more. Complete with all the original maps and illustrations, this replica edition is a remarkable artifact of one of the most exciting and dangerous eras in American history.