Death Valley in '49

The wondered Death Valley earned its ominous name here are dreadful stories aplenty to satisfy your curiosity. This is the detailed and devastating account of the sufferings of the party of emigrants who gave Death Valley its name. Persuaded by the leader of another wagon train to try a shortcut to southern California, the emigrants got lost in the barren, arid valley. After splitting into small groups, most of the party died of thirst, hunger, or exhaustion. William Manly, however, lived up to his name, and survived the ordeal to write this autobiography, which also describes conditions in California during the 1849 Gold Rush.