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Typescript titled “A Sketch of the Life of Lysander Johnston, who left Boonville, Missouri, in 1850 for California with William Harley of Boonville,” written by his daughter, Miss Lois May Johnston, in 1940. The sketch describes the overland wagon train journey from Missouri to California via Ft. Kearney, Ft. Laramie, Independence Rock, Salt Lake City, and the Humboldt and Truckee Rivers, which departed around May 1, 1852, and arrived on the outskirts of the Sacramento Valley nearly six months later. Includes descriptions of conflicts with Indians. The sketch also includes a genealogy of the family; account of Johnston’s life in California through 1854; account of his participation in Walker’s expedition in Nicaragua; account of his return to the U.S., service in the Civil War, and death in Chicago in 1922 (14 pages). Accompanying documents include two typescript letters signed Miss Lois May Johnston to Charles van Ravenswaay, February 3 and May 1, 1940, regarding the sketch of her father; photograph of Lysander Johnston at age 78; photograph of the Joe Cannon House in Danville, Illinois, the plans and specifications for which were drawn by Lysander Johnston; and two letterheads of the Elevated Suspension Electric Railway Co., Chicago, 189-. (6 items), 1940

 File — Box: 1, Folder: 22

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Oregon-California Collection is an artificial, or subject-based, collection comprising of a variety of documents that have been placed in this collection over the years due to their common subject matter. The collection consists primarily of letters, diaries, and articles from Missouri newspapers relating to overland travel to Oregon and California in the 1840s and 1850s. Most of these items are transcriptions or reproductions, rather than original documents. The collection also includes correspondence of the Missouri Historical Society with various individuals, 1924-1940, mostly relating to papers and publications about 19th-century overland travel to California and Oregon.

Dates

  • 1940

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Extent

From the Collection: 0.5 Cubic Feet ( (1 box))

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center Repository

Contact:
225 S. Skinker Blvd.
St. Louis MO 63105 United States
314-746-4510