The Prairie Traveler

Randolph Barnes Marcy was a career officer in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Brigadier General before his retirement.

In his life he had written this book which has become an essential guide to thousands of people who were going to California, Oregon, Utah, and other western destinations. It is considered as the most important work on the frontier expeditions. In his book, Marcy provides advice on packing, choosing the routes to California, selection and care of horses, wagon maintenance, etc. In the book are cored the topics about food supplies, traveling, finding and treating water, building a fire and avoiding quicksand, first-aid procedures, and includes the Native American tracking and hunting techniques, sign language, smoke signals and battle tactics.

With this book, he wanted to teach travelers how to survive and protect them from danger.

It is one of the most practical and the most popular guides to the settlement of the West. By missing his practical advice and many anecdotes from his career in the West, Marcy makes the book interesting for reading, not an ordinary “How-to” guide. This guide contains helpful information essential for safe traveling before the inventing of the railroad.

Apart from the information the author provided in this book, you will also find maps, illustrations of the principal routes between the Mississippi and the Pacific.