Hard Road West: History and Geology Along the Gold Rush Trail

by Keith Heyer Meldahl

Book Overview

In 1848 news of the discovery of gold in California triggered an enormous wave of emigration toward the Pacific. Lured by the promise of riches, thousands of settlers left behind the forests, rain, and fertile soil of the eastern United States in favor of the rough-hewn lands of the American West. The dramatic terrain they struggled to cross is so familiar to us now that it is hard to imagine how frightening--even godforsaken--its sheer rock faces...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226519627
• ISBN13: 9780226519623
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

The Way West

As we make our way west Mr. Meldahl enlightens us not only to the features we pass but how we ourselves came to inhabit our planet. As we absorb the latest gripping geology we imagine with regret how much this knowledge would have pleased the pioneers. I know and love many of these places and now my excitement is magnified by this narrative. The inclusion of the photo of his dog Scout is one of the author's brilliant human touches. The merging of interjected historical records, romantic and unromantic impressions of travelers then and now with broad but incisive academic detailing into an even flow of narrative is astonishing. Superb drawings, maps and photos supplement and enlighten the text. I cherish this book. John Weiler

Geology and the shaping of travel

If you like geology, you will love this. Not a quick read and all the better for it. This discussion of how the West was formed makes the travails of the travelers West in the mid-nineteenth century seem superhuman. Every other chapter enlivens the material with excerpts from emigrant diaries. These are memorable! The book is well sourced,has helpful photographs and drawings and has a glossary of geologic terms. I found it hard to put down and even inspiring.

excellent fun and informative book

This is a really good book, a great read. The author is a gifted writer and he beautifully weaves the tales of the emigrant travels to California with the landscape geology that they had to cross. I am a big reader of geology books and this is one of the best that I have read. With all due respect to Mr. Mcfee who pioneered this genre (and I have also read and enjoyed over the years), I think this book is at least as good and maybe even better. First of all, Hard Road West uses numerous pictures and diagrams to explain complicated geological principals which are invaluable for understanding the geology. And Hard Road West lets the emigrants themselves tell the story though their travel journals. Its a wonderful approach and makes the geology jump out of the page as you follow the emigrants almost step-by-step through their many travel hardships crossing the west to reach California. He is a really fun writer and I look forward to many other books by him in the future. Highly recommended.

New delights

I did not know much about geology when I started, but I knew a lot after reading this lovely mixture of history and enthusiastic, clearly explained geology. The book is also a pleasure to hold and read. Excellent [though 'auriferous' has nothing to do with iron- 'fer' [aquifer, conifer]and ferr' are different roots].But that's trivial!

21st century science meets 19th century adventure

This book blends history and geology, and the result is quite unique and fascinating. The book explores the geologic history of the American West while telling the story of how gold rush pioneers crossed that rugged landscape. The author writes clearly and well about geology, and has a knack for coming up with nifty analogies to explain geologic processes. The chapter titled Cordilleran Upheaval is great, like a crash course in how everything geologically from the Rockies to California came to be. The story of gold rush pioneers is told very well, with abundant first-hand quotations to explain what it was like to travel the "hard road west" in 1849. I came away thinking that the trip of the 49ers competes with Lewis and Clark as a great adventure story. The middle part of the book moves a bit slowly, but the earlier sections on the Great Plains and Rockies, and the final chapters on the Humboldt River, desert, and Sierra Nevada are terrific. Overall highly recommended for anyone interested in the gold rush or the American West.