The 1859 Gold Rush Diary of John W. Fletcher
Annotated by Gregory M. Franzwa

ISBN: 1-880397-44-7, $14.95

A native of southern Wisconsin, young Fletcher made his way to St. Louis, where he set out for Colorado, using various overland routes including the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Mormon Trail. Did he strike it rich in the Gregory Diggings? Like almost everyone else, he discovered that there were way too many prospectors for way too little gold, and left empty-handed. He made his way back east, but not empty-handed—he had a diary, more precious than any gold he might have found. Precisely reproduced, the diary reveals Fletcher as one smart cookie and a skilled writer, and offers a first-hand view of life on the trails during the Gold Rush days.