Escape from Death Valley: As Told by William Lewis Manly and Other '49ers

Presented here for the first time since 1888 is William Lewis Manly's original account of his rescue of the Bennett and Arcan families, who took a "shortcut" across the uncharted Great American Desert in 1849-1850. These goldseekers blundered into Death Valley, where they realized they would have to abandon their wagons in order to make it out of the desert alve. Manly and his friend John Rogers were instructed to venture west over the mountains to find provisions and return to rescue those stranded in Death Valley. The two emaciated young men traveled 250 miles on foot through forbidding deserts and over rugged mountain ranges to find succor at the Rancho San Francisco. They then recrossed the desolate landscape with provisions for the families awaiting their return. Although Manly's classic book Death Valley in '49 has been reprinted several times, his initial account of the rescue (published in monthly installments in 1888) has not been readily accessible until now. This earlier account includes valuable information missing from Manly's book. As a result of extensive research that included hiking all possible routes, Leroy and Jean Johnson propose a compelling theory which should finally settle the long-standing controversy regarding the exact routes taken by these Argonauts. Detailed maps and numerous footnotes provide substantial evidence to support their conclusions. The Johnsons also include discoveries they made while retracing the routes. As the most carefully researched and complete book on the Manly-Rogers routes into and out of Death Valley, this book will hold much interest for trail buffs, Death Valley enthusiasts, scholars of the westward movement, and those concerned with the role of women in opening the West. --- from book's back cover