The basic contention of this thesis is that the journals and memoirs of a famous Canadian expedition—that of the "Overlanders" to the Cariboo gold fields in 1862—have literary as well as historical value. The accounts may be read as autobiographies, or as classic adventure stories (romances). The first chapter seeks to define the criteria by which we "judge literary worth in these two forms, and indicate in;: general terms how the Overlander narratives fit into both genres. The second chapter is concerned with dramatic structure in the narratives. The plot, reduced to its simplest form, is seen to be essentially that of the traditional folk tale ("naive" romance), in which heroes ride off in search of fabulous treasure, and on the way must overcome a variety of staggering difficulties. Although the outline of the plot in the Overlander accounts was supplied by actual events, the authors' ability to recognize the drama and reproduce it effectively is evidence of their creative power. The third chapter examines the diction, sentence structure, and imagery of each of the narrators. Their artistry and originality is perhaps more apparent in their style than in any other aspect of their writing. The fourth and fifth chapters concentrate on autobiographical meaning in the accounts. This meaning is developed as the travellers are shown striving to maintain harmony among themselves, and struggling to make progress in a sometimes hostile wilderness. All the narrators were Christian believers. Their religious vision was reaffirmed in the course of the trek, and broadened and deepened by their experiences. This vision and the process of its expansion, re-created by the authors, provide unity and a sense of progression for their works. In the final chapter, an attempt has been made to place the Overlander narratives in the context of the Canadian literary tradition. They belong to a large body of early travellers' and explorers' narratives which are full of fascinating details and curious anecdotes, and possess drama, poetry, and psychological interest, but which are just beginning to be recognized as genuine and valuable imaginative literature. Even after the fairly extensive analysis which can be made in a study of this length, it does not seem possible to state exactly how much literary value exists in works which are as little known as these, especially since what is true . of one or several may not be true of all the narratives. This examination does indicate, however, that these accounts taken as a whole possess both form and meaning and will give almost any reader pleasure on many levels. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, May 1926. / Title-page wanting; title from copy in the University of California library. Lettered on spine: Overland to California in 1841. Bibliography: 6 leaves at end.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, Sept. 1923. / Typewritten (carbon copy). Description based on print version record. Bibliography: p. 202-[215].

The purpose of the study was to trace the route of William Wright Anderson who traveled overland to Oregon from St. Joseph, Missouri in 1848 and then on to California in 1849. It was to be determined what guidebook(s) and/or map(s) he used on his journey. The identification of places, individuals, terms, and events while on the journey and while in Oregon and California were to be included in the study.The diary and memoirs were purposely to be kept as nearly as possible to their original state as not to lose the historical value and flavor of the manuscript. However, a minimal amount of editing was necessary to insure clarity.Findings1. It was determined that Anderson used Joel Palmer's guidebook Palmer's Journal of Travels Over the Rocky Mountains, 1845-1846, while on the Oregon Trail.2. Numerous geographical features and places were identified on the Oregon Trail, in Oregon, on the overland trail from Oregon to California, and in California.3. Numerous pioneers and contemporaries with who Anderson came in contact were identified. These included, most notably, Joe Meek, Antoine Reynal, Jr., Thomas "Peg-Leg" Smith, Philip Foster, Henderson Luelling, Alanson Beers, and Elisha, John, and Charles Packwood. 4. Various terms no longer in use were identified as to their meaning. Examples included were: “deadening," "thimble-rigging," "clever," and "hewer."5. Anderson was directly involved in several historical events which included: the meeting of Oregon representative Joe Meek on Meek's trip to Washington, D.C., the meeting of the soldiers searching for the murders of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, the manufacture of the famous "Beaver Money" in Oregon, the growth of Coloma, California after the gold discovery, and the rise and decline of the California gold mining operations.ConclusionThe Anderson manuscript is of great historical value because the timing and extent of his travels coincided with many historical events. The work is a historical treasure for scholars studying Oregon or California history of the period.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007. / "May, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-126). Online version available on the World Wide Web.

This study is an attempt to discover how women participating in the mid-nineteenth century migration to Oregon viewed the westward journey and themselves in relationship to it. It is not a survey of the responses of all women in the westward movement, but, rather, an exploration of the perspective of those women who left a written record of their perceptions or recollections. The thesis focuses on the diaries and reminiscences of women travelling, primarily but not exclusively, in the years 1851-1853. The introductory material consists of a review of the existing historical literature on women and the West, and a discussion of the methods and assumptions used in the thesis. Following this is a short sketch of the history of the migration to Oregon. The major part of the thesis is organized around five themes which emerge from women’s diaries and reminiscences.

Two disease regions existed on the Oregon Trail. Asiatic cholera impacted the Platte River flood plain from 1849 to 1852. Dysentery developed two endemic foci due to the decay of buffalo carcasses in eastern and middle Nebraska between 1844 and 1848, but later developed a much larger endemic region west of this Great Plains due to the infection of livestock carcasses by opportunistic bacteria. This study demonstrates that whereas Asiatic cholera diffusion along the Trail was defined primarily by human population features, topography, and regional climate along the Platte River flood plain, the distribution of opportunistic dysentery along the Trail was defined primarily by human and animal fitness in relation to local topography features. By utilizing a geographic interpretation of disease spread, the Asiatic cholera epidemic caused by Vibrio cholerae could be distinguished from the dysentery epidemic caused by one or more species of Salmonella or Campylobacter. In addition, this study also clarifies an important discrepancy popular to the Oregon Trail history literature. "Mountain fever," a disease typically associated with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, was demonstrated to be cases of fever induced by the same bacteria responsible for opportunistic dysentery. In addition, several important geographic methods of disease interpretations were used for this study. By relating the epidemiological transition model of disease patterns to the early twentieth century sequent occupance models described in numerous geography journals, a spatially- and temporally-oriented disease model was produced applicable to reviews of disease history, a method of analysis which has important applications to current studies of disease patterns in rapidly changing rural and urban population settings.