So Rugged and Mountainous: Blazing the Trails to Oregon and California 1812–1848, by Will Bagley

While many previous authors have told parts of this story, Will Bagley has recast it in its entirety for modern readers. Drawing on research he conducted for the National Park Service’s Long Distance Trails Office, he has woven a wealth of primary sources – personal letters and journals, government documents, newspaper reports, and folk accounts into a compelling narrative that reinterprets the first years of overland migration.