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The
Crossing Notices
  My
favorite review of The
Crossing--what it is all
about!
Vol. 18, No 4, Winter 2000/2001, of the
Overland
Journal, of the Oregon-California
Trails Association:
The reviewer, Richard H. Dillon, Professor of
History at the Fromm Institute, seemed to like it
except for "typos and double strikes" (they are now
gone in current expanded printing) and the
"writer's (me) conversational style." The latter
remains, and will remain. There is a large sampling
of that style, such as it is, on this site.
If you survived it here, you will survive the
book.
Tom Chaffin, Pathfinder: John Charles
Frémont and the Course of American
Empire, Hill & Wang, 2001.
"Bob Graham...maintains a fine
website--www.longcamp.com--devoted to
Frémont and exploration of the
American West."
 Here
is one online at Trails
West--Markers of the California
Trail.
July 18, 2001 edition of the Placerville
Mountain
Democrat:
The Mountain Democrat is California's oldest
continually published newspaper--since 1851!
The review is more about the author (again, me)
than the book, but Doug Noble did like it.
As a result, I have gotten phone orders from as far
away from Placerville as Santa Rosa.
Placerville was also called "Dry Diggin's" and is
still, sometimes, called "Hangtown."
Horace Greeley once headed across the mountain by
coach from Carson to Placerville. Legendary driver
Hank Monk is said to have, between the crackings of
the long whip, reassured him, "Don't yer
fret none, Horace, I'll git yer thar on time!"
A huge crowd was assembled in the streets in front
of Cary House awaiting the arrival of the famous
guest. A great cheer went up as Monk careened into
town at his usual break-neck speed--horses
steaming. It was a very shaken Greeley that
slowly emerged from the coach. The top of the coach
also required repair from being repeatedly hammered
by the Greeley head.
At least that is one version of the
story.
ENFIA's
Review of The
Crossing
The Eldorado
National Forest Interpretive
Association
 This
work chronicles Fremont's crossing of the
Sierra Nevada in the winter of 1844. The
Crossing employs a very interesting
approach to its subject. The author--Bob
Graham--bases the framework of his book on
a portion of Fremont's official report to
Congress. This part of Fremont's report
narrates the period from January 25th to
March 6th. During this time, Fremont
traveled from the foot of the eastern
Sierra Nevada's near Markleeville to
Sutter's Fort in the Sacramento Valley.
Interspersed with Fremont's narrative are
corresponding entries from Charles Pruess'
diary and Kit Carson's autobiography.
George Karl Ludwig "Charles" Pruess was
Fremont's cartographer during the
expedition. Kit Carson, of course, was
Fremont's famous scout.
The three men frequently provide
contrasting images for any given day
during the crossing. For example, for
February 17th, Fremont's report happily
reads: "Here we had the pleasure to find
all the remaining animals, 57 in number,
safely arrived at the grassy hill near the
camp; and here also we were agreeably
surprised with the sight of an abundance
of salt." Following this paragraph in
Fremont's report, the author inserts a
more dispassionate excerpt from Pruess's
diary for the day of February 18th: "The
horses are now near by on a snow-free
hill, where grass is said to be rather
plentiful . . . The horse meat is all
right as long as the salt holds out." The
author then inserts this excerpt from Kit
Carson's autobiography: "Sent back for the
animals. They had, through hunger eaten
one another's tails and the leather of the
pack saddles, in fact everything they
could lay hold of. They were in a
deplorable condition and we would
frequently kill one to keep it from dying,
then use the meat for food."
We also learn some interesting things
about the science of navigation. For
example, the direction of Polaris does not
indicate true north, and the error is
smallest around 3am. Fremont, Pruess, and
even Carson would often loose a little
sleep by shooting Polaris at 3am in winter
in the high Sierras. The very thought is
enough to freeze your sextant.
The Crossing offers a crystal clear
discussion on some mapping errors that
Fremont made in his report to the
Congress. This discussion shows how easily
mountains can fool you, and how easily one
can become lost in high mountains. Graham
also reveals Fremont as a competent
navigator--foiled only by the fragility of
his instruments and the archaic techniques
of his times. The Crossing supplies a
wealth of GPS data and terrain analysis
for anyone dumb enough to retrace
Fremont's route over the Sierras. Since I
qualify, I am thinking of trying it.
Another
review and some history from ENFIA
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 You
can buy a copy of THE
CROSSING at the Placerville
News Company at 409 Main
Street--right at the Belltower, and across
and just down the street from The Cary
House.
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 THE
CROSSING is available at the
Eldorado
National Forest Interpretive
Association (ENFIA) information
center at Carson Pass.
A 2nd printing of the ENFIA's
A Guide to the
California Trail will also be
available, and contains (p. 55-56) an
entry for, and hiking map to, the Long
Camp site.
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 THE
CROSSING is also available year
round at Sorensen's
Hope Valley Resort at the top of
the Carson Canyon on highway 88.
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Or, from right here on this
website.
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