The Plains Across : The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60

Best researched work on the subject of westward expansion, particularly, the pioneers. Too bad it's deemed a library discard. Probably would have been in better condition if the delivery person hadn't thrown the box against my door and the book had not been loose inside. Yes, I heard the thud--I was sitting four feet away, so...

Was ok

One of the best and accurate books about the westward migration between 1840-1860. Most peopledid not realize what they had to endure to arrive at their destination. Many did not survive. Very wellresearched - excellent. The many hardships are researched and presented in detail. By covered wagonsit took months to arrive in Oregon/California

I am a west ward expansion history buff so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. First off it is very detailed. It is as though the author found every newspaper article, pioneer letter and store ledger there was between 1840 and 1860. The great thing about this book is that you actually get to read what the actual pioneers were thinking, how businessmen of the time were jockeying to influence where the westward pioneers would leave from, St. Joseph Missouri or??? It also tells the westward expansion story from the native Americans perspective. Good reading for the history buff.

Unruh's book is a must-have for anyone interested in the central epic of America - the crossing of the continent by wagon train. Here's the nitty-gritty, as well as the exciting adventures. I am finding this book quite useful in writing my latest book on the westering experience, tentatively titled "The Evil That Men Do" and focused on the terrible sufferings of the Death Valley 49ers and the three heroes of that episode who are among the greatest in the America's story. I wish I'd had Unruh's book when writing "Women of the West" as Dorothy Gray in 1975, now considered a classic of Western Americana and women's studies and in republication by U. of Nebraska Press and available through Amazon. Amazon does a great service to writers and readers by making reprints of these classics available at modest cost on today's market.

This is the ultimate secondary source for the largest migration of peoples in world history, the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails from 1840 to 1860. I doubt that it will ever be replaced. By organizing the subject in terms of the relationship of the migration to public opinion, emigrant interactions with each other, their interactions with Indians, the federal government, private entrepreneurs, the Mormons, and with the historians themselves, a new and refreshing perspective on this profound historical moment emerges. I cannot recommend it too highly for anyone interested in the history of the the expansion of the United States west of the Rocky Mountains during the mid-1800's..

This is a great book that deserves all the accolades it's acquired. My family came West in 1843 with the first large wagon train. Unruh has captured both the excitement and disappointments inherent in this historical crossing. It's too bad he wasn't around to bask in the attention the book has received.

Exhaustive! More information than a casual reader will want to confront. Nevertheless, if you are really wanting an in-depth guide to the Western Emigration, you will want to read it.