Luzena Stanley Wilson - Her memoirs as taken down by her daughter in 1881

http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/three/luzena.htm

Chapter One - Paragraphs I, II & III.5.

Luzena Stanley Wilson was a gold rush entrepreneur who traveled with her husband and two small children from Missouri to California by land in 1849. In the first chapter of her memoirs, Wilson describes the motivations for her quest and takes us through the first few days of her expedition. Her perspective on the movement westward is unique and valuable by definition due to her status as a woman, granting a voice to those who had typically been a minority in this social phenomenon. Her perspective might also be implicated in a point about ideology, as it is relatively easy to pause here and draw out a narrative between Wilson's defiance of society's expectations and the progressive and liberal nature of the West today. 

She begins by simply stating that 'The gold excitement spread like wildfire'. and that she and her husband 'early caught the fever'. In describing the excitement as a 'fever', Wilson seems almost critical of the hysterical hope that the desire for gold instilled in Americans of the East. She continues with a tone of defiance, asserting that when her husband went to search for gold, she 'would not left be behind. I thought where he could go I could'. It is perhaps this kind of courage, both in response to the huge task at hand and to 19th century gender stereotypes, that reinforces our notion of the kind of mentality associated with the movement Westward and indeed to the West's modern character. In reflection, Luzena believes that she 'little realized the task I had undertaken' but it would be worthwhile as upon arrival, 'fortune, of course, would come to us.' This last statement is particularly interesting as on a superficial level, it is an archetypal representation of 'manifest destiny' and supports the naive collection of theories revolving around classic ideas of automatic prosperity, property and individualism. The wording used to state that the fortune 'would come to us' could almost be interpreted as a minor case of personification, adding a tone to her statement that further reflects the idea that simply moving westwards was enough to deserve wealth and success, epitomising the idea that this migration was somehow initiated under divine instruction or at least with some form of celestial protection. Alternatively, in light of her comment regarding her own naivety, we might interpret Wilson's tone as being slightly self-critical and satirical. If this interpretation is truthful, it would constitute an interesting attitude towards the migration westwards and perhaps reveal some remarkable foresight on Wilson's part in terms of the future failure of many mining communities and comparable expeditions. 

Luzena then describes her preparation for the expedition, resulting in a 'strange but comprehensive load which we stowed away in our "prairie-schooner". She explains how 'some things which I thought necessities when we started became burdensome luxuries', demonstrating a physical representation of some characteristics associated with the Westward migration that Wilson previously articulated in relation to her mental experience. The way in which 'necessities' become discarded as 'luxuries' acts as both a literal representation and a metaphor for the tribulation encountered in these journeys, the effects of which are invariably transformative. The idea of achieving prosperity through sacrifice does of course figure consistently in the Western story and is allied to the most significant aspects of national identity and aspiration such as the American dream, a concept which is many ways rooted in the experiences of those like Luzena Wilson. In brief, becoming accustomed to hardship and adjusting your standards of living according to the challenges of this new territory is critical to the overarching legacy of survival, endurance and finally: happiness.

After the first day of travel, the family camped in 'Indian Territory, which spread on one unbroken, unnamed waste', an assessment that offers an important insight into American perceptions of the Indians and is worthy of an analysis in itself. Briefly then, the 'unnamed waste' alludes to the perceived savage nature of these tribes and the fact that they do not deserve any kind of recognition in the way that has characterised all other examples of Westernised society. Wilson's use of the adjective 'unbroken' is perhaps a subconscious reflection of her own fear of this territory and its inhabitants who are united in their hatred of the white culture and bent on delivering destruction to her own kind. Wilson states, 'Here commenced my terrors.' in a notably short sentence that marks a contrast from her descriptive style and consequently, illustrates her abject fear through drastically slowing the pace of her account, forcing the reader to focus upon simple ideas of 'terrors' and their root in this 'unnamed waste'. Of the Indians, Wilson had 'read and heard volumes of their bloody deeds,the massacre of harmless white men, torturing helpless women', provoking a maternal response of care for her children in the camp. From a privileged position with historical hindsight, we know that while Wilson's description is incredibly subjective and misleading in its content, it does nonetheless reflect some truth and accurately maps the reasoning behind her 'terrors.' However, that night passed without incident and Wilson later admits that 'The Indians were friendly, of course, and swapped ponies for whiskey and tobacco'. This exchange did not sufficiently alleviate her concerns however as Wilson still 'in the most tragi-comic manner, sheltered my babies with my own body, and felt imaginary arrows pierce my flesh a hundred times during the night'. This vivid phrasing describes, amongst many other things, the kind of ignorance and subjectivity to which the Indian peoples were condemned. Even upon proving their peaceful intentions and willingness for cooperation and constructive relationship, they are perceived by Wilson as a consistent threat to her own familial instinct and sophisticated, capitalist intentions. Even after acknowledging the 'imaginary' nature of the arrows, they metaphorically pierce her skin nonetheless and instill within her a natural and perpetual conflict with the Indians. The idea of Wilson sheltering her children with her own body also appears dramatic in the sense that, she portrays herself as a helpless victim, disempowered to the point where her only defence is to sacrifice her own flesh as a futile shield against her aggressors. Evidently, the entire history of the Indian-American relationship is clear that the reverse of Wilson's account is true, and that it was largely the indigenous peoples who were left without proper defence of their families.

To conclude, Wilson's account acts largely as a re-affirmation of elements which we already view as being inextricably connected to the Westward migration as an event. These elements are diverse and range from the ideological aspirations of her journey to the specific events of her journey such as her stay in Indian Territory. It is the legacy of these elements which, when graced with a perspective on the current prosperity of the American west, add such a sense of value, validity and respect to the accounts of early pioneers such as Luzena Stanley Wilson.

Sources

Wilson, Luzena Stanley, Her Memoirs as taken down by her daughter in 1881. Retrieved from <http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/three/luzena.htm> last accessed 29/01/2017

The Gold Rush of  1849, Retrieved from <http://www.history.com/topics/gold-rush-of-1849> last accessed 29/01/2017

The Gold Rush - Luzena Stanley Wilson, Retrieved from <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/peopleevents/p_wilson.html> last accessed 29/01/2017

Jennie Atcheson Wriston - A Pioneer's Odyssey

Jennie Atcheson Wriston - A Pioneer's Odyssey

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/domwest/wriston.html

This is a short but significant extract from the travel journal of Jennie Atcheson Wriston. It forms part of the account of her 1873 journey undertaken as a child with her parents and siblings. The entire journey was from Missouri to Colorado. This extract concerns the sector across the prairie lands of Nebraska. Wriston wrote the account from memory in 1943 at the request of her grandchildren.

I choose this extract because within its traditional vignettes of pioneer life, lie traces of key themes associated with the debate about the nature and progress of western expansion. It allows an examination of the harsh living conditions, the influence of Manifest Destiny rhetoric, Frederick Jackson’s frontier ‘process’ and its contribution to American character. There is also the consideration as to how texts such as these, written long after the events and in very different circumstances, may have helped to sustain the mythification of the west.

The detailed description of the wagons, their technology and inventories, the importance of provisioning and the style of the overland meals gives a sense of the challenges faced by pioneers of ‘crossing a continent’ and being ‘at the meeting point between savagery and civilization.’ The prairie land lacked timber and we learn how simple sod houses were fashioned into functional and effective homes. These however, were often isolated and Wriston comments that it took seven days travel to fetch stores. In Turner’s view the traits and skills needed for this kind of survivalist existence gave rise to the American character.

This character was underpinned by a strong sense of mission, of doing God’s will, in the words of John L. O’Sullivan in Manifest Destiny, ‘to overspread and possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us.’ In the words of young Jennie Wriston, she was starting a ‘long journey toward the unknown but promised land.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson's widely known and influential essays had equated the development of the materialism of the west as a rise to the divine and these blessings underpinned American spiritual values.

The family’s departure to ‘win the wilderness’ was celebrated by friends and neighbours greeting them from farms for miles along the road. Jennie observes that they had been part of that community for five years. This makes it likely that they had been beneficiaries of the Homestead Act 1862. This was a Government sponsored scheme to help populate the frontier. The lessee acquired 160 acres of ‘free soil’ which they would own after five years of cultivation. This incentivised the constant onward movement to the west, to sell at a profit and find more new land. Or Mr. Wriston may have just become restless – he had tamed his land and perhaps found the local horizon just too narrow. According to James Truslow Adams, the community may have mourned the loss of one of its valuable members but would have understood the imperative to move on and seek out bigger and better ‘free land.’ This continually advancing frontier line meant that social development was also continually beginning over again. For Turner, this generated the adaptability and fluidity that dominated the American character.

Wriston’s family took the Republican river route towards Nebraska. They were not exactly making a new path into the wilderness. These were the river courses used by Native Americans and subsequently by trackers, hunters and traders. Turner acknowledges this legacy when he writes that ‘the Indian trade pioneered the way for civilization.’ The pioneers would use these same resources of timber, shelter and water to sustain their progress in the wilderness.

A further valuable resource available to the Wristons would have been the knowledge and experience of trail life which had been built up over the last forty years. The Oregon Trail had started in 1843 and as early as 1836 John Mason Peck had published his comprehensive New Guide for Emigrants to the West.

There were also the letters and information sent back home which encouraged the formation  of large caravans of wagons taking the western route.

 Yet in Jennie Wriston’s journal, there is a real sense of an individual family very much on their own – the epitome of the true pioneer.

This could be explained by interrogating the timing of their journey. Until very recently Nebraska had been unorganized, Indian territory. Awareness of its rich grasslands was raised by travelers during the California Gold Rush in 1848. Wriston mentions the homes of these first wave pioneers who had dropped out from that trip to homestead on government land. After 1867 when Nebraska was admitted to the Union there was an increased wave of settlement sponsored by Federal government aid. This could have encouraged Wriston Senior to uproot the family and start over again.

The last section of the journal illustrates another aspect of the ideology of the western expansion. Their destination town of Rock Ridge contains only one other house, a post office, bar and general store. The good soils and lush grasslands have attracted the farmer to the frontier. He will now build the community: ‘plant the orchards, throw bridges over the streams, build mills, schoolhouses and courthouses.’ Mr. Wriston soon has twelve plus children enrolled in the former ranch house school. He has been ‘boilingly busy.’

And finally, what may have caused Jennie Wriston to contemplate writing about these events so much later in her life in 1943? America had entered the Second World War in 1941 and swiftly mobilized its human and material resources for war. Jennie Wriston could not have been unaffected by its impact on the American way of life. There were nationwide campaigns to influence attitudes and behaviours on the Home Front. In particular, the campaigns for rationing and recycling, with their slogans such as “Make it Do or Do Without” and “Do With Less, So They’ll Have More,” could not fail to resonate with the memories of the young girl who had ‘helped transform the Wilderness.’

References

Adams, James, Truslow, The Epic of America p214-221

Peck, John, Mason, A New Guide for Emigrants to the West http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27394/27394-h/27394-h.htm
Turner, Frederick, Jackson, “The significance of the frontier in American history” (1893)

www.legendsofamerica.com/we-settlement.html

http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1870.html

http://www.over-land.com/diaries.html
https://www.docsteach.org/
http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/nebraska
http://www.historynet.com/oregon-trail
http://nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/photos/highlite/butcher/photos.htm
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/america-goes-to-war.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.uk/

Settler Stories: Diary of William Addison Bushnell: Civil War Soldier

Historical Context: From Civil War to Indian wars:

The American Civil War (1861-1865) is remembered for being the most violent war ever fought on American Soil. The war divided the North and South of the United States due to differing views on slavery. Historian Boyd Cothran, in his New York Times article, ‘How the Civil War Became the Indian Wars’ suggests that the Civil War also led to further wars with Indians in the West. Cothran claims that ‘During the era of Reconstruction, many American soldiers, whether they had fought for the Union or the Confederacy, redeployed to the frontier. They became shock troops of empire. The federal project of demilitarization, paradoxically, accelerated the conquest and colonization of the West.’ Cothran here suggests that soldiers after the Civil War were redeployed to help ‘accelerate’ westward expansion. This ‘acceleration’ was often halted, as settlers and the army came into conflict with various Indian tribes. As a result of this, the army was deployed into various forts across the west with the aim of forcing the Indians into reservations, which had for many years already been a key aim of the Government due to laws introduced in Andrew Jacksons presidency  including the Indian removal act. The Diary of William Addison Bushnell provides a narrative of a solider during the final years of the Civil War, in which he and his regiment head from San Francisco to Fort (camp) Goodwin along the Butterfield trail (image above) with the aim of moving Indians into reservations. Featured below is the context surrounding Bushnell’s journey as well as a brief history of his regiment. The Diary, and the subsequent stories revealed in his entries, act as microcosms for the ongoing movement westwards with stories representing the hopes, dreams and struggles of the American people and Government. 

“This realistic look at military life on the frontier, in an era when half the enlisted men were illiterate, William Bushnell brings an educated humor to an otherwise bleak existence. His poetry and prose accounts, certainly the exception to an enlisted soldier’s view of his daily life, show a sensitivity and optimism in what must have been unbearable conditions. Fort Goodwin was established 21 June 1864 and according to Joseph Fish’s History of Arizona, "the situation at Fort Goodwin was so unhealthy as to render the largest proportion of the personnel unfit for active duty most of the time. Out of 250 men in the post, not more than 20 were fit for duty." (The post was abandoned on 14 March 1871.) His accounts of the problems with camp rations touch on a significant command issue in the regiment. The shortages were due to various blunders connected with the change in departments and commanders. Further, the notion that military success might be achieved by offering the Indians food and protection, on one hand, and ceaseless attacks from all directions on the other , brought senior command criticism to Gen. Mason and others. The U.S. had adopted the Mexican theory of extermination, and thusly, committed acts of inhumane treachery and cruelty that made the Indians our implacable foes. It is estimated that this policy, just from 1861 to 1870, cost the U.S. $40 million and 1,000 lives”.

This introduction to Bushnell’s journey shows most importantly how the Indians were ‘implacable foes’ to the American people. As a result of laws established by the U.S. Government before and after the Civil War, they themselves alienated the Natives rather than aiming to compromise with them in any respectful way.

“Company K, organized October 28, 1861, at San Francisco. Left San Francisco January 7, 1862, for Humbolt Military District; established Post Lippitt, Humboldt County, Cal., January 10, 1862. July, 1862 company engaged in scout in the neighborhood of Eel River; captured about two hundred Indians, and left them on the Humboldt Reservation. April 30, 1862, while a detachment of the company was escorting a Government pack train from Arcata to Fort Gaston, Cal., a number of concealed Indians fired on the train, killing private Andrew Smith and wounding Corporal Patrick Agan in the arm. Company left Fort Gaston, June 20, 1863, for Fort Humboldt, Cal.; left Fort Humboldt for Benicia Barracks, June 28 1863; Left Benicia for Chico, Butte County, Cal., August 14, 1863; arrived August 16, 1863; left Chico for Benicia, October 26, 1863; left Benicia for Fort Miller, Cal., December 19, 1863; arrived December 26, 1863; left Fort Miller, October 1 1864, for Presidio, San Francisco; arrived October 8, 1864. Stationed there till ordered to Arizona, August 15, 1865”.

Bushnell enlisted while Company K resided at Presidido, San Francisco during December 1864. During the Summer of 1864, Bushnell and company K left Presididio and headed to Fort Goodwin in Arizona along the Butterfield trail.

Westward Expansion: Tales of a Developing Land

Bushnell’s diary takes place during 1862-1866 and his Diary comments on many of the themes surrounding Westward Expansion. This Blog has chosen diary entries which best express these themes surrounding the development of the West, and these include: the formation of settlements and the representation of Native Americans.

‘Valley of Gila’: The formation of settlements

“Oct. 16, 1864:  Were compelled to make a departure from our ordinary starting hour on account of the teams being sent after barley. It was 8 ½ A. M. when we got under way and 11 ½ A. M. we encamp at Burke’s Station (an old overland stage station) distance 12 miles, no houses nor any evidence of inhabitants except an Emigrant Train from Texas. They represent themselves as being destitute of provisions and money. They are bound for California. The train consists mostly of women and children. - Pass over plains of dry grass which would have made excellent hay and it been cut in due season. My prediction is that the valley of the Gila will some day contain nice farms and fields of cotton where nothing grows now but luxuriant grass and willow”.

This diary entry from October 16^th 1864, was written while the regiment marched from Fort Presidio, California, to Fort Goodwin, Arizona. Within this entry he describes the story of a number of women and children heading west to California. This in itself represents the ‘settler ambition’ of westward expansion, and how many were moving from east to west in search of creating new settlements.  Furthermore, Bushnell predicts that the Gila Valley area will become agricultural land, as the area is rich with ‘dry plains’ and ‘fields of cotton’. Bushnell’s diary entry can be seen as a ‘microcosm’ for the concept of westward expansion, with families heading west in search of free and open land in which to create new, flourishing communities. The reasoning behind why only women and children are on the train maybe a result of the loss of husbands and fathers during the Civil War

Apache Trouble: Representation of Native Americans

 “Oct. 17, 1864: Leave camp as usual at 5 A. M. and arrive at Oatman Flat at 8 ½ A. M. distance 12 miles. The country over which we travel today is rough and rocky. The entire country is strewn with a species of burnt rock resembling lava. After leaving the upland for the river bottom by descending a steep rocky hill, we find ourselves on "Oatman Flat". About a quarter of a mile after leaving the bluff, on the left had side of the road is a small enclosure about six feet square at one end of which may be seen a board bearing the crude inscription "The Oatman Family, 1851". Here it was that the ill fated emigrants perished at the hands of the blood-thirsty Apaches - and over yonder bluff in a southerly direction, they bore their pale-faced captives. Seven of the family are said to be buried in the grave by the roadside viz, the two Oatman brothers, the younger brother’s wife and 4 children some of which, I believe, belonged to the elder Oatman who was a widower. We encamp at the upper end of the Oatman Flat on the river.”

Bushnell’s next entry tells the story of the ‘Oatman Family’, who were murdered by ‘blood-thirsty Apaches’. Bushnell’s brief description of the Oatman family massacre describes how the whole family ‘perished’ at the hands of the Apaches, which would lead one to interpret the Indians as ‘savages’. Oatman’s portrayal is similar to future portrayals of Indians in Western films and novels, in which they are usually featured as antagonists to those wanting to settle on ‘new land’. The story of the Oatman family does continue beyond Bushnell’s brief description. The image featured above is of Olive Oatman, whom survived the attack and was captured by the Indians. Olive was later rescued by the U.S. army and reunited with her brother Lorenzo who also survived the attack, but struggled in later life with physical (as shown in the image)  and psychological scars as a result of her capture. Bushnell’s interpretation and Olive’s story reveals why Native Americans are often represented as ‘hostile savages’ in film and literature, as they remain examples of what was halting the violent process of U.S. westward expansion.

Friendly Natives: representation of Native Americans

“Oct. 21, 1864 After building fires, making coffee and replenishing our canteens from the barrels in the wagons, we resume our march with renewed energy at 2 A. M. In 8 miles pass the "Tank", no water. At 8 A. M. we arrive at Maricopa Wells which takes the name from the tribe of Indians residing here. They are innumerable, or seem to be, and flock around our camp with fine water-melons for sale. They are fine looking Indians and are on good terms with the whites. They speak considerable Spanish and make some pretensions to clothing themselves”.

Bushnell’s October 21^st 1864 entry contradicts his previous representation of Indians. The tribe of Indians who feature in this entry are described as ‘fine looking’ and are ‘on good terms with the whites’. This representation challenges the pervious ‘Oatman/Apache’ story as these Indians are represented as being civilized in terms of their clothing and behaviour. Furthermore, it reveals the diversity of Native American tribes and how some were dangerous and posed a threat to the Americans, and how some were willing to trade and accept there movement westwards. 

References: 

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~steelquist/WmBushnell.html 

http://wildwesthistory.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/olive-oatman-survivors-story.html

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/how-the-civil-war-became-the-indian-wars/?_r=0

Justice of the Pains: The Movement Westward (1936)

Painted by John Steuart Curry in 1936, this mural adorns the interior of Washington D.C's department of justice; a testimony to the sentiments of pride and exceptionalism immortalised and instilled by the Westward expansion within the national character. Justice of the Pains depicts a group of settlers in their journey from a plentiful land of green towards an uncertain West characterised by a series of visual antonyms to its Eastern counterpart. In their respective works on the development, nature and role of American aspiration, both James Truslow Adams and Jim Cullen offer a literary perspective from which Curry's mural can be further dissected with insight beyond what is visually represented on the canvas.

Dominating the majority of the space, it is the settler's optimism and dogged forward movement towards a predetermined objective from humble origins that swiftly establishes a framework for another imitation of the American dream. In combination with the customary canvased wagons, yoked oxen and stetson-adorned outriders, the narrative of the movement West appears complete. In fact, it is only the group's destination that invites us to question the optimistic facade of the American dream. Marked by a stark transition from vibrant green to a barren wasteland, from blue skies to smoke, the promised land of the West is set ablaze and superficially at least, holds little potential for its prospective population. In his writing, Adams refers to a series of financial 'panics' (1791, 1819, 1837, 1857) that threatened the notion of rapid exponential growth which was fast becoming an integral element of American identity through its development as a nation. Although of a different nature, the destruction of the West shown in Justice of the Pains is perhaps a similar kind of panic with similar repercussions for elements of American ideology and identity. Adams continues to state that, despite these panics, "the finger has never ceased to beckon with compulsion", suggesting that ultimately, the integrity and allure of the American dream remains intact. This is perhaps because, due to its nature as an ideology, belief system or aspiration, the American dream cannot, as a concept, be held accountable for the way in which it is manifested in reality. According to this definition, any failure of the American dream (financial ruin or indeed a ruined promise of the West) can simply be passed off as a failure to properly represent the belief rather than a failure with the belief itself. This is an idea still inherent to America's political class, as exemplified by former secretary of state Judith McHale who stated in interview that "There's still the promise of America [...] the ability to have your dreams [...] that is why it continues to be such a compelling message and opportunity". This reliance on optimism in the face of consistent failure is reflected in Adam's writing when he states that "cold appraisal of facts might deter others from coming". This adds an almost Darwinian dimension to the Westward expansion in the sense that the journey seems reserved only for those who are fiercely loyal to the "Promise of America" and have survived the "cold appraisal of facts" that had turned others away.

Overall, this textual analysis finds visual support in the mural, as the group seem largely undeterred by the tribulation that awaits them. With diverse backgrounds (military, farmer, mother), the group is united only in their steadfast pursuit of property and happiness, reinforcing Cullen's view that 'the American dream becomes a kind of lingua franca'. The uncertainty of the West as a destination of plenty and wealth and the relationship this holds with the American dream is also alluded to in Cullen's writing. He writes of the dream, that 'ambiguity is the source of its mythic power'. Within the mural, the two front riders of the group recoil in fear from the fires of the West and to the viewer, make it unclear whether or not the goals of their expedition will be realised. Indeed, it is only with historical hindsight (both for artist and viewer) that we know the expansion Westward to be a successful one, with the hardships shown in the painting only reinforcing the notion of the American dream with pain and hard work as a catalyst to success.

While we know that statistically, the American dream is a myth, its nature as an ideology or belief renders it immune from its failure to materialise in reality. Versions of the American dream however, such as the construction of the West, offer images of success, (many of which are represented here in Curry's Justice of the Pains) and begun to cement the narrative of the American dream within the national conscience.

Sources

Adams, James Truslow, The Epic of America (1931) From Chapter 8: Manifest Destiny Lays a Golden Egg, pp. 214-221

Cullen, Jim The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped A Nation (2004), Introduction, pp. 3-10

McHale, Judith speaking in Al Jazeera's 'McAmerica - The Success Secrets of Brand USA' Retrieved from <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DNViKt50mE&t=2515s> last accessed 23.01.17

A Year of American Travel - a book by Jessie Benton Fremont

A Year of American Travel

A Book by Jessie Benton Fremont

Frémont, Jessie Benton. A year of American travel. New York, Harper & brothers, 1878. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/item/18002864/> acccessed 21 January 2017

Author’s Biography

“Jessie Benton Frémont (1824-1902), the daughter of a Missouri Senator and wife of explorer John Charles Frémont, first came to California in 1849, when she and her young daughter spent six months at her husband's newly-acquired ranch at Mariposas, 140 miles east of San Francisco. The Frémonts also spent the years 1851-1852 and 1857-1861 at the Mariposas ranch before moving to St. Louis during the Civil War. They returned to California in 1887 and made Los Angeles their home for the rest of their lives.”^[1]

I chose this resource as a way to explore the paradox of the American Dream as discussed by Jim Cullen and James Truslow Adams.^[2] Is  the Dream a journey or a destination? Is it achieved through personal endeavour and hard work or is it about having the outward trappings of success? Cullen writes of its multivalency - having many applications, interpretations and meanings  and yet for him ‘ agency’ lies at the very core of the American Dream.

The book tells the personal story of a middle class woman who is actually living the life of striving towards the American Dream whilst at the same time the narration exemplifies the development of the notions that are used to analyse ‘the American Dream.’ Thus we see the pull of the constant movement West, the qualities required for frontier life, the obsession with business success and vignettes of  the dispossessed. - French and Spanish settlers submerged by the machinations of the Louisiana Purchase - an enormously advantageous acquisition for the land hungry United States.

Fremont’s family enjoyed a very comfortable life in the East with political and business interests in two capital cities and Virginia. But the imperative of the West meant a perilous seaboard journey for Jessie and the winter mountain route for her husband, in which few of his party survived. Adams describes the speed and randomness of town development. (Adams p216) Fremont describes Kansas growing from a steam boat landing to city since her last visit. She experiences the ‘quantitative measure of value’ (Adams p215) where settlement was a succession  of log cabins; a series of rooms alternating with open spaces with a connecting roof and which were easy to build with the increased man-power that came with new-comers.

Her days in early Gold Rush California provide examples of how desire for prosperity and easy money took precedence over living conditions -’no man would have diverted his attention from the mines to go house-building. They used blankets and tents.’

In trying to recover some semblance of Eastern society, Fremont attends a party where the ‘whole force of San Francisco society came - the ladies sixteen in number.’ She was informed that visits by men would be brief as “time was worth fifty dollars a minute. The American Dream was being forged…..

---

^[1] Summary from Library of Congress record

^[2] Jim Cullen, The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped A Nation (2004), Introduction, pp. 3-10

James Truslow Adams, The Epic of America (1931) From Chapter 8 Manifest Destiny Lays a Golden Egg, pp. 214-221

Nathaniel Wyeth’s American Dream: Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains, to the Columbia River

‘Heading West’: Wyeth’s Journey and Historical Context:

19^th Century America was a period in which many Americans became infatuated with the idea of the ‘West’. The period was dominated by exploration, wealth, the settling of ‘new’ land and the ‘taming of the uncivilized frontier’ (The Spaghetti West. DVD. Dir: David Gregory (2007; Independent Film Channel, 2005). Since then the idea or concept of the ‘West’ has become engrained into the American ‘consciousness’ and has helped develop the term, ‘the American Dream.’    

John K. Townshend’s, ‘Townsend's Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains, to the Columbia River’ exemplifies these themes of exploration, wealth and the American Dream. The Narrative chronicles the 1834 journey of Boston Inventor, businessmen man and mountain man Nathaniel Wyeth. An introduction to Townshend’s book briefly describes the adventure of Wyeth and his men. (https://www.loc.gov/resource/lhbtn.th021_0107_0370/?sp=7) The introduction explains that the aim of Wyeth’s trip is to set up ‘trading posts’ in the area ‘beyond the Rocky Mountains’. The Journey begins in the East, in St Louis, Missouri. In St Louis, the men prepare for their journey before they head for the areas ‘beyond the Rocky Mountains’.

Townshend’s Narrative and the Writings of Adams and Cullen:

Townshend narrative and the concept of the ‘American Dream’ can be assessed through James Truslow Adams ‘The Epic of America (1931)’ and Jim Cullen’s ‘The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped A Nation (2004). These two works aim to pinpoint what the American dream is, how it developed and particularly with Adams work, how the Dream is multivalent. Firstly, the way Townshend describes Wyeth can be analysed in terms of Adam’s and Cullen’s work. Townsend asserts that Captain Wyeth, ‘appears admirably calculated to gain the good will, and ensure the obedience of such a company, and adopts the only possible mode of accomplishing his end.’ Townshend description of Wyeth suggests that he is a man that would stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. Wyeth’s description can be linked with Adams work, as he can be seen as being ‘innately capable’ in terms of achieving his goals, and that he would put the effort into achieving his dream. . Furthermore, Townshend describes the other men as possessing ‘a strong and indomitable spirit which will never succumb to authority, and will only be conciliated by kindness and familiarity. I confess I admire this spirit. It is noble; it is free and characteristic’. This ‘spirit’ of optimism, of ‘kindness’, ‘familiarity’ and ‘free(dom)’ can be related to what Adam’s states about the dream, and how it is a dream of ‘social order’, which includes togetherness and  how men (and women) together shall succeed as long as they have the ‘ability’ to do so. Additionally, Townshend’s narrative shows how the ‘American Dream’ is, as Adams asserts, ‘omnipresent’. As the expedition happened before the term ‘American Dream’ was ever coined, it demonstrates how the ‘Dream’ has been dominant or ‘omnipresent’ throughout history.

Townsend, John Kirk, and Reuben Gold Thwaites. Townsend's Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains, to the Columbia River. [Cleveland, Ohio: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1905] Image. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/06001820/. (Accessed January 20, 2017.)