The Rocky Mountain Journals of William Marshall Anderson: The West in 1834

It's kind of ironic, but of all the things offered to the reader in this magnificent book, Anderson's Journal of a trip he took west for his health in 1834 might be the least important. In fact, the Journal takes up less than 50 pages of this 430-page work. But it's all the rest that editors Dale Morgan and Eleanor Harris present that makes the book truly outstanding. Anderson kept a diary of his trip which he used later to compile the Journal. We get the diary as well, presented in juxtaposition on facing pages with the Journal for comparison's sake. We also get a 40-page introduction on Anderson and his times and a 20-page biography of the man. In addition, we get in full the articles he wrote for the American Turf Register based on his trip and the ethnological notes he kept on various Indian tribes he encountered. Best of all, I think, is the 140-page appendix entitled "Galaxy of Mountain Men," which contains incredibly detailed biographical accounts of over 40 major mountain men, from Kit Carson and Joseph Walker to Black Harris and Rottenbelly (a Nez Perce chief). William Marshall Anderson was born in Kentucky in 1807. His mother was first cousin of Chief Justice John Marshall, and his father, a Revolutionary War hero, was surveyor general of lands in Ohio and Kentucky. College educated and licensed to practice law, Anderson first organized a cattle import company in Ohio. But he contracted cholera in 1833, and then yellow fever, and decided to take a trip to the Far West to regain his health. In 1834 he made the trip that occupies his diary/journal at the core of this book in the company of William Sublette and a party of fur trappers. The genteel Anderson stuck out like a sore thumb in this rough company, and he really didn't get along well with anyone except Sublette. A man used to forests and rich farm land, he was unimpressed with the treeless Plains. He was fascinated by the Indians they came across, however, which probably sparked a life-long interest in archeology. He attended the Ham's Fork rendezvous where he met Carson and Bridger and many other legendary figures. Shortly after the rendezvous broke up, Anderson returned to St. Louis with Lucien Fontenelle's party. A full 50 pounds heavier than when he left, and with his health restored, Anderson married and converted to Catholicism upon his return. He settled near Chillicothe, Ohio, ran for Congress unsuccessfully, and then bought a farm near Circleville. After the Civil War he went to Mexico on an archeological expedition (although actually he was there to help set up a Confederate colony), contracted yellow fever again, and returned home to Ohio. He recovered and went on to study Indian mounds in Mississippi. In failing health, he died in Circleville in 1881. This book is truly a feast of riches for anyone interested in the mountain man period of the West, and not just during the six months of Anderson's sojourn to the Rockies. Morgan's annotations of the diary/journal a

Anderson's journal, diary and narrative are an insightful look into his personal experiences, observations and thoughts during the fur trade year of 1834. Describing the multitude of people, places and events along the soon to be Oregon Trail , I can see why many historians reference his book for this time period. In typical Dale Morgan fashion, the editing is extremely well done, meticulously picking his way mile by mile with Anderson. Also included is the "Galaxy of Mountain Men" which are short but pertinent biographies of forty five men who influenced and helped shape the fur trade and western expansion movement.